


(Don't) Stand So Close To Me

by Soupernabturel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Age Difference, Alpha Dean, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Castiel, Bottom Dean, College Student Dean, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Kid Dean Winchester, Kid Fic, Knotting, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Mates, No Pedophilia, Non-Chronological, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Castiel, Omega Heat, Parents Castiel & Dean Winchester, Possessive Dean, Rutting, Scenting, Smut, Switch Castiel, Switch Dean, Top Castiel, Top Dean, True Mates, Unconventional Relationship, age gap, timestamps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-02-15 23:11:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2246892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soupernabturel/pseuds/Soupernabturel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's uncommon to find your True Mate when you are ten years old, but that doesn't stop Dean from knowing Castiel Novak is <em>his</em>, even if the omega is over a decade older than him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

Mr Castiel Novak was the prettiest man, the prettiest _human being_ that Dean had ever seen.

 

He had big blue eyes and dark hair. He was tall- taller than Dean of course, it wasn’t hard for anyone to be taller than the ten year old, especially when they were twice his age. And best of all when he smiled his nose crinkled up and his pink gums flashed on display.

 

Mr Castiel Novak was so beautiful. He smelt like everything Dean loved all rolled into one neat, grown up, blue eyed package.

 

Dean couldn’t help it that when instead of extending his hand for a handshake (as Miss Missouri taught him was the proper way to say hello at school), he reached across and cupped Castiel’s cheek in his small palm; some instinctual, automatic part of him telling him that this was okay; he was allowed to do this- to touch Mr Castiel like this.

 

Mary hissed in a breath, and reached out to take Dean’s hand. Before she could however, Mr Castiel blinked, crouched, stock still before Dean. Something shifted in his eyes and his pupils dilated (of course Dean didn’t notice that, didn’t know that, all he knew was that in that moment the smell of apple pie, of peaches and cream, and the scent of a warm spring day grew heavier in the air, so much so that it made Dean take in a big inhale and grin).

 

“Oh,” Mr Castiel said softly, his lips blowing out a small breath as he stared across at the child before him with wide blue eyes. Dean just smiled, brightly, wholly, and rubbed at the older man’s face with the pad of his thumb. His cheeks felt scratchy beneath Dean’s fingers and he giggled slightly as the short cut hairs tickled his finger pads. Mr Castiel’s face was strong and angular and taught beneath Dean’s hand, he could feel Mr Castiel’s jaw click, as he swallowed. Feel Mr Castiel’s olive toned skin against his own.

 

It was comforting, like getting a hug from his mom, or a ‘job well done’ from his father.

 

Being with Mr Castiel was like being with someone Dean loved.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Dean.” Mr Castiel said, his voice deep-deeper than Dean’s fathers. It made Dean’s chest expand with happiness, to hear Mr Castiel say his name, and though he couldn’t quite understand it somehow Castiel saying his name was better than all of the times it had been said before.

 

It was only when Mary reached out and grasped Dean’s hand, drawing him to her side that Dean let his hand drop from Mr Castiel’s face. He stepped back to his mother’s side, looking down guiltily as he blushed. Mr Castiel too, looked a little flushed, but he regained his ground standing upright, as he once again, began talking to Dean’s mother, welcoming the family to the neighbourhood.

 

Dean listened to the two talk with all of the attention a ten year old could muster (which was to say, none at all). He did however step out from his mother’s side to stand more between the two adults. Placing himself beside Mr Castiel, enough so that he could lean against the older man's leg, his cheek rested on his hip as he looked up at him.

 

When Mr Castiel glanced down and smiled at Dean, pleasantly surprised, Dean felt every inch of him right up to the tips of his freckled ears turn pink. He turned and hid his face against Mr Castiel's pants leg, blushing and breathing heavily at the attention that sent his head whirling. To be the subject of Castiel’s eyes and smile made his little heart beat rapidly as though he was playing hide and seek and could hear someone creeping closer and closer to his hiding spot.

 

Mr Castiel stiffened, before very slowly, he placed a hand on the back of Dean's head, a warm solid weight that had Dean smiling.

 

"Dean." Mary scolded, but only lightly. She reached out and grasped Dean's wrist in her hand, prompting him to let Mr Castiel go and come back to her side. "I'm sorry-" she said, when she'd finally managed to pull Dean over to her,  "Dean he- he's not usually like this."

 

"No it's-it's alright." Mr Castiel said, smiling down at Dean warmly. "Your son is quite charming I believe."  
  
  
Dean didn't quite know what charming was but he knew it was something good. "Thanks Cas." he mumbled shyly, gripping his mom's hand as he pressed his face against her leg.

  
"You're welcome Dean." said Mr Castiel, smiling down at him. His smile made Dean light up inside and his chest feel warm and fuzzy. He grinned widely and tongued the gap in his teeth letting out a small whistle as he sucked in a breathe.

 

Mr Castiel laughed at the sound. Dean liked making him laugh.

 

When it was time to leave, Dean waved furiously to Mr Castiel who returned the gesture with amused affection. Mary almost had to drag her eldest son away and back to their own home; the young boy refusing to leave until Mr Castiel slipped back into his home and out of sight.

 

Dean wouldn’t know till several years later, that the warm feeling inside of him, the wholeness he felt when he was with or saw Castiel, surged from the long instinctual recognition of his perfect match in another. The recognition of his mate.

 

*******

 

Years passed. Mr Castiel or Mr Novak, soon became 'Cas' in the Winchester household; a good friend and neighbour to the Winchester family, and inexplicably the one baby sitter that was always asked first, whether they had the time to look after Dean (by request) and Sam. There was an easiness to these everyday interactions, with Cas somehow slotting into Dean life as though he was always there, and for Castiel himself- who was never that close with his own family, he gained a second family who would give him gifts on Christmas and his birthday (Dean would always insist on giving his own gift; much to the amusement and somewhat bemusement of the three adults)

 

Castiel Novak, by no fault of his own- had somehow become Cas Novak-Winchester at least in the eyes of the young, headstrong Dean Winchester.

 

When at fifteen Dean presented as an Alpha, nobody was the least bit surprised. 

 

Least of all Castiel.

*******

 

At twenty nine, Castiel was an unclaimed Omega.

 

Castiel wasn’t ashamed of it, it was more so a choice than anything else, most peoples, most _Alpha’s_ assumed he was a Beta, on account of his suppressants.

 

Despite the suppressants Castiel had taken one look at Dean Winchester-all freckled faced and bright eyed, with the sickly sweet scent of pine needles and ocean air-and wanted nothing more than protect and love that pink lipped boy with every fibre of his being.

 

It wasn’t even a sexual thing- no, not at all. Not at first. It was as though Dean simply became the centre of Castiel’s universe.

 

The conversation with Mary and Johnathan Winchester had been short and straight forward. Castiel wanted- _needed_ to be an active part of Dean’s life. Understandably The Winchesters held their reservations, Dean hadn’t even presented yet, it was not determined whether Dean would be an Alpha (Which John had been most adamant about), a Beta, an Omega (which Castiel doubted, Omegas did not mate Omegas it was just a fact), not to mention Castiel was several (13) years Dean’s senior. It was strange for the omega of a mated pair to be the elder, let alone to find ones True Mate revealed to them before they had even presented.

 

Dean seemed to both understand and not understand Castiel’s apparent role and future role in his life. Regardless however he treated Castiel fondly, as though a friend and confidant as the years passed.

 

It was not as though Castiel didn’t have his own doubts, he’d started denying their bond- and although his affection for the boy was not of a sexual nature, the age gap between them caused self-loathing enough without adding that undercurrent of mating drive There was always in the back of Castiel’s mind the question of a mistake- of Castiel being alone for so long; that his Omega instinct was unsure itself about which way was up and which was down- which people were viable mates and which were simply young boys turned young men who deserved better than someone almost twice their age.  

 

Such thoughts however never lasted very long, not when Dean would smile up at Castiel as though he had given the boy some great gift just for being by his side. And for Castiel the sense of wholeness, of happiness he felt simply by being in Dean’s presence was too powerful to deny.

 

As the years went on Castiel was content enough to act as Dean’s friend, his neighbour and a more uncle like figure than he had ever anticipated to arise once the house next door was sold to the Winchesters. Despite the inherent awkwardness of the situation, Castiel was content- even as Dean matured and grew and connected with others his age. Castiel just considered himself fortunate enough that suppressants would one day be more than enough to act as the very last blocker between him and his true mate- especially when the young man, young _Alpha_ now, would become decidedly more …tempting.

 

It certainly didn’t help that the very day Dean presented as an Alpha Castiel could smell nothing but him for the whole week of the young boys first rut, which coincidently just happened to have been induced by Castiel's own heat, which was already bad enough as it was, dealing with it alone.

 

The whole experience was only intensified by the fact that Castiel had to endure the remainder of his heat being able to scent and sense his rutting, viral young Alpha mate nearby.

 

The whole episode almost drove Castiel insane.

 

Needless to say the local chemist quickly ran out of Omega suppressants a certain time of the month from then on. 

 

*******

 

For as long as Dean could remember everyone always placed so much importance-so much dependence on the existence of mates. It was certainly no miracle to get a mate, it was the  _true mates_  that everyone was always so fussed about. True mates that girls, and boys, would talk about dreamily as though it was some far off fairy-tale future that each of them could earn if they just believed.

 

 Dean had been ten years old when he had met his true mate.

 

 Now; at sixteen, and now able to actually understand the implications of living next to his True mate Dean was feeling a little bit… _frustrated_ to say the least.

 

 It didn’t help that Cas seemed to be completely oblivious, and unaffected by the fact that they were spiritually, biologically, physically and emotionally perfect for each other. Even to the extent where Dean, during his ruts would found himself outside Cas’ door feeling as though he was going to explode as everything was red and a blur and the only thing that made sense was Cas’ scent which lead him here all the way from his bedroom to Castiel's door wearing nothing but his too tight boxers.

 

The first time when Dean had knocked on Cas door, begging pleading then outright demanding entrance- Cas' answering expression would have been funny in normal circumstances- but since Dean was too fucking turned on too care everything just looked sexy and  _mine mine mine mine mine-_

 

 “Oh,” Castiel had said when Dean expressed his desire to bend the older Omega over and knot his slick hole. 'Oh' was all he had said as he promptly shut the door in Dean’s face.

 

A few minutes later, Mary rushed home from work to find Dean snarling and growling at Cas’ front door, cursing up a storm and whimpering against the wooden barrier because his mate, _CasminemineCasmine_ was somewhere in there, and wasn’t _right the fuck here right the fuck now._

 

Turned out Cas had called his fucking _mom_ , and locked himself up in his room.

 

It was only the thought of Castiel spread out on his bed while thinking about Dean, writhing and shoving into himself his slicked up fingers that got Dean through his first few ruts. And many after. A combination of rejection and adrenaline coursing through his veins having him almost collapsing in relief every time his three monthly cycle was up.

 

Damnit Cas was his _mate_ \- and Dean seemed to be the only one who _cared_.

 

Most of Dean’s ruts passed in much the same manner. It wasn’t as though Dean was just lying down and accepting the fact that his mate didn’t want him- that he was practically drowning himself in suppressants instead of drowning himself in Dean. No. Dean had tried everything from attempting to formally court Cas- leaving him presents and notes, helping the older man in his garden, subtly (as subtly as a teenage alpha boy could) brushing against him and finding excuses to touch him to outwardly stating openly, loudly that he wanted to fuck and knot and breed Cas and provide for him like an alpha should.

 

Their ages didn’t matter in Dean’s eyes- he just wanted Cas anyway he could get him. And it was none the more obvious than when a rut came.

 

Each time after Cas would act as though nothing had happened, as if a week earlier Dean hadn’t been dry humping his locked front door, using every swear word under the sun. The only thing that did change was that Cas’ smell- the cool, refreshing scent that Dean held close to his heart, became less and less poignant, less obvious hid and shielded under the fake artificial smell that followed Cas like a bad cold.

 

It got to the point where even in his ruts, when his nose was it’s most sensitive- his whole being finely attuned to everything Cas- that Dean could hardly even smell _Cas_ any more.

 

It was almost as if Dean was losing his mate before he’d ever really had him.

 

So yeah…having a true mate kinda sucked.

 

*******

 

When Dean came home from school and noticed Cas’ flowers, the potted ones outside on his front and back porch were unwatered, practically melting in the hot summer sun, he felt the inkling of worry stir in his gut. Cas loved those flowers- his garden. He came home from work everyday and almost religiously watered the damn things- Dean knew. The tulips out front, the large overhanging fern above the patio, he’d brought them for Cas as gifts when he was fourteen, and helped Cas plant pretty much every flower there.

 

Cas loved those damn flowers he wouldn’t let them die of thirst.

 

“Hey Cas?!” Dean bellowed, banging against Cas’ door. After a few seconds where nothing happened, Dean knocked again. “Cas?”

 

When the scent hit him it was intoxicating. In a sudden wash of smell Dean’s head spun as every muscle in his body twitched the stiffened in agitation. Innately Dean sniffed the air and was shocked to smell Cas through the door. Cas- _his_ Cas, a smell that was so fucking good that Dean’s toes curled in his boots and a small unwitting whine escaped from the back of his throat. His natural scent of  peaches and cream and apple pie and just everything that made Dean want to both hold him tight and fuck him hard into the nearest flat surface and knot him- was tinged with the smells of sex and sweat that dug deep into Dean’s alpha and latched on dragging forth every possessive, heated instinct he had in him.

 

Fuck- Cas was in _heat_.

 

But Cas never went into heat! Not anymore at least?

 

“Cas!” Dean yelled out, already adrenaline and arousal was coursing through his veins. “Did you stop taking your suppressants? Are you okay?”

 

Still Cas didn’t answer. The smell of the older man’s heat grew stronger so much so that Dean groaned and had to press himself against the door, a wave of arousal striking him low in the gut making his legs shake.

 

“Castiel.” Dean’s voice was so deep that he barely recognised his own voice. “Please, open up Cas don’t leave me out he-”

 

The door swung open inwards. Dean shot to attention, standing shock still his heart hammering in his chest as suddenly, Cas appeared in the doorway, dressed in a grey pair of sweats and nothing else.

 

It was as though every one of Dean’s senses was in hyper drive. He could see Cas standing before him, eyes glazed and body flushed. His skin was olive toned, and slick with sweat, a drop of which beaded on his brow and ran down the length of his face. His sweat pants sat low- very low, obscenely low on his hips showing of the pivot V of his sharp hips and the dark trail of hair that disappeared below his waist line.

 

It couldn’t be healthy- how fast the blood in Dean’s brain was shooting down into his dick.

 

Cas’ breathing was soft but too fast- he looked simultaneously exhausted and revved up as though any minute was going to both collapse and jump the nearest warm body and fuck them into oblivion.

 

Oh god he smelt so good.

 

“Dean…” Cas said breathily, and it was possibly the sweetest sound Dean had ever heard, “you’re home from school.”

 

If Dean wasn’t so turned on he probably would have laughed, as it was- laughing drew too much attention away from his dick.

 

Before Dean could say anything in reply like every wet dream he had ever had Cas suddenly threw himself at Dean- all 5’11 of him- gathering the young Alpha up in his arms as he pressed his face into the curve of Dean’s neck and inhaled.

 

“You smell _amazing_ ,” Castiel murmured nosing his way up Dean’s neck. “God how could I forget for so long?”

 

“C-Cas?”

 

“Dean it’s been so hard-" Cas moaned and Dean gasped as the older man's hips began to rub against his waist. "I’ve thought about your-your- scent... every day. God wished you were with me." It was as though Dean’s scent was some sort of drug- a part of Dean feared that Cas was about to pass out for how hard he was breathing in Dean’s scent, rubbing his cheeks and face over Dean’s exposed throat. "I’ve- I’ve felt so conflicted but-god, I want you Dean I _need_ you.”

 

Dean swallowed his throat feeling raw- he guessed about two seconds before every nerve in him snapped and he gave into the alpha voice screaming at him to mate knot breed knot breed-

 

“C-Cas,” Dean gasped, every muscle in his body coiled tight like a spring, “this isn’t just your heat talkin? This isn’t- _oh_ ”

 

Cas had licked a stripe up Dean’s neck his tongue rough and wet and warm against Dean’s skin.

 

“Please Dean,” Castiel whispered, breath cool against the wet skin he’d just licked. “Come inside please. I need you De- _alpha_.”

 

Yes that was right, Dean was an Alpha- _Cas’ Alpha_.

 

Lightning fast Dean pushed Cas through the front door with a surprising amount of strength, crashing their lips together. Cas tasted just as good- if not better than how he smelled. Dean probably could have kissed Cas all day- years even but when he felt Cas’ body go stiff with his next jolt of heat and heard him whine in the back of his throat Dean figured there would be time for romantics and foreplay later- his omega needed him now, hard and fast, and Dean was gonna be a good Alpha and provide for him.

 

“Thought you didn’t want me.” He found himself groaning out, shoving Cas back further into his home, nipping the elder man’s bottom lip between his teeth. “Broke my heart Cas every time you pulled away, every time I smelt you and you didn’t smell like _you_.”

 

“I was in-insecure-confused.” Cas admitted breathlessly, the seriousness of his words undercut by the small filthy moan he let out as Dean latched onto his neck with his mouth and began to suck. Bruising the skin beneath “I wanted you too ma-ke your own choice, ah your own-ah fuck-future, without being tied to me.”

 

Dean released his mates neck and nosed at the freshly bruised skin. Cas would look so good with a mating claim, a bite mark signalling to everyone and everything that Cas was his and he was Cas’. Yeah Dean could possibly be down with that.

 

“I’m sorry!” Cas gasped out, as Dean’s teeth nipped at the bruise on his throat, scraping down the length of his throat.

 

“You can make it up to me now.” Dean said, releasing Cas from his arms despite every instinct telling him to hold and grab and keep Cas close. “Bend over the couch.”

 

Dean had never seen anyone move so fast- obey so swiftly.

 

Cas scrambled over to the couch, practically throwing himself over the armrest, his ass raised high in the air, presenting himself to Dean. Dean growled and stalked forward, eyes intent on the wet patch that was seeping in through the back of Cas’ sweats. He wanted to taste- so he did just that, running his hands up and over the tight jut of Cas’ sides and shoulders, as he bent down and licked at the soggy material. Cas practically keened over- whining as he forced his clothed ass back into Dean’s face, trying to get some pressure where he obviously ached most.

 

Dean amused by Cas’ wanton display, stepped back, easing the older Omega forward more with his wide hands, pressing them against his heated skin- heated as though there was a furnace smouldering in his veins.

 

“W-Want you…” Cas said reached out behind him with one hand as he grasped at Dean’s wrist pulling the Alpha closer, “Please, Dean.”

 

Dean threw his head back and moaned, “Cas, can I claim you? Right here in your living room? Where anyone walking past could look in and see?”

 

A fresh wave of slick thickened the aroused omega scent in the air, soaking through Cas’ sweats.

 

“You want me to press my cock inside you?” Dean asked, as Cas wriggled impatiently beneath him. Despite the older man being bigger- and completely and utterly capable of flipped them over or shoving Dean off if he wanted to, instead Cas seemed to get off on being beneath Dean, having his smaller weight, forcing his face into the couch cushions. “I could knot you and breed you up good. You’ve been waiting for me haven’t you Cas? Waiting for my knot to be big enough to fill you.”

 

Cas’ groan of approval was all Dean needed. Efficiently he yanked Cas’ sweats down, guiding his own jeans down around his knees. His cock stood out already red and leaking at the swollen head, eager to be buried into Cas. From this position above the Omega he had a perfect view of Cas’ ass, his cheeks wet and glistening with his own slick, steadily seeping from between Cas’ cheeks.

 

Dean grazed his fingers against Cas slick hole, pressing his fingers in and dipping inside. Although he’d never had sex before he’d watched enough pornos and had enough of a working knowledge (and admittedly an overactive imagination) to know how to start working Cas open. His fingers stretched Cas open, searching and reaching for his prostate until finally he found and pressed against it- causing Cas to moan and grip the armrest of the couch, grinding back on Dean’s fingers.

 

Satisfied that Cas was ready, Dean gripped his cock in one hand and guided it forward, already his knot was swelling at the base, flushing his skin red and making him bite his teeth in concentration. Dean could feel excitement thrumming through his body, egging him on as he pressed inside with a gasp part the tight ring of muscle. Cas let out an animal sound and clenched around him tight and hot. Dean almost lost it then when Cas pressed back pushing him in deeper until Dean completely bottomed out.

 

The sight of his own cock inside of Cas had a possessive thrill racing through Dean. With a little less care than he intended, Dean rolled his hips back, pulling his cock out inch by inch, throbbing and wet with Cas’ slick. Dean snapped his hips forward then, starting up a brutal pace. Cas gasped out at Dean’s rhythm, crying out and tightening involuntarily around Dean’s length, only spurring him forward.

 

It didn’t take long for Dean’s pleasure to build up into a crescendo, blocking out everything else. The mingling of their scents surrounding them, only put him more so on edge- he’d fantasized about this very moment so many times, had jerked his own cock to orgasm to the thought of having Cas like this, writhing and moaning- submitting beneath him.

 

“Fuck.” Dean breathed, gripping onto Cas’ hips as he felt his balls slap against Cas’ skin with the force of his thrusts. “Jesus- Cas, could have had this all along, fuck why did you make me wait?” he barely sounded like himself, voice tough and gruff with arousal the more his knot grew. It started to catch on Cas’ rim, tugging and stretching him out which caused Dean to gulp in lungful’s of air as Cas growled and rutted back against each of Dean’s thrusts, almost knocking the younger Alpha off balance.

 

Dean grit his teeth, snarling under his breath as he dug his feet into the floor and in a final, blasting push shoved his knot fully inside Cas- tying them together finally. With a flood of instinct he surged forward and bit down on the back of Cas’ neck. With an animal like viciousness Dean’s teeth locked into Cas’ skin, and the tangy metallic taste of blood burst across his tongue. At the thrust and the bite Cas came with a loud cry from under him, his ass clenched around Dean’s knot hard, his orgasm almost running though him up into Dean.

 

Exhausted, and draping his full weight on the larger man beneath him, Dean grinned against Cas’ neck, releasing the omega from his mouth before pressing his cheek against Cas’ shoulder blades, as his cock continued to flood his newly claimed mate with his load.  Cas was limp, sated beneath him, panting softly as he brought one hand around to touch Dean’s arm, trailing down his wrist to awkwardly link their fingers together. Dean huffed out an elated laugh, his skin buzzing with his orgasm as he circled his hips, softly grinding his cock against Cas.

 

“I would say that it was worth the wait but- damn if we could have been doing that this last year.” Dean breathed out a laugh and shook his head, as Cas stroked the nearest part of him he could reach.

 

More pleasure flared through Dean and he couldn’t stop the groan that escaped him as another shot of come was milked out of him from Cas’ relentless muscles.

 

Cas’ voice when he answered was fucked raw but soft, making Dean regret knotting him this way because he wanted to kiss Cas so desperately and looking into his mates eyes.

 

“I didn’t want to chain you to me for the rest of your life while you were still so young.” Cas whispered, his face soft and smooth with his recent release- the exhaustion Dean had caught a glimpse of before finally bleeding through. Years of pent up exhaustion of denying himself and stopping himself from taking the one thing he most wanted. “You still are.”

 

“I wanted it Cas- wanted you. Right from the beginning.” said Dean placing his lips against the nearest patch of Cas’ bare skin. His soft kiss soon turned into tentative licks as he hummed around the sweet, sweaty flavour of his mate-only pulling away when Cas groaned faintly in discomfort, Dean weight pressing him down into the couch uncomfortably.

 

In the next few minutes of comfortable silence that followed, Dean bit hard at his lower lip as again he filled Castiel- fuck this was so much better than Dean could have ever imagined.

 

Cas groaned in approval and shifted his weight. He popped and rolled his shoulder, turning his head to glance at Dean over his shoulder.

 

“Hey Cas you know what’s best about having a younger mate?” asked Dean, adjusting himself and holding his own weight as he tried to make Cas more comfortable.

 

“Hmm?” Cas asked dopley, and even though Dean couldn't see his face he knew somehow he was smiling.

 

“Next to no refractory period.” Dean smiled wickedly, he could feel his knot already loosened enough to slid out of Cas with little effort. Cas who groaned and arched his back with the loss, already starting to turn onto his back and shuffled down onto the couch cushions- dragging Dean on top of him.

 

Needless to say that they didn’t leave the couch for a long time.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel (23) and Dean (10).
> 
> The introduction of a mate into Castiel's life, certainly shook up his routine a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this Chapter:
> 
> -brief mentions of Cas/Amelia  
> -An emotional attack that resembles a panic attack.
> 
> Let me know if you like this and want me to add more :)

The introduction of his mate into Castiel’s life certainly shook up his usual routine.

 

For one, Dean was an active child, constantly jumping and climbing and running about the place and while Castiel was no invalid himself ( being partial to an early morning run a couple times a week) the energy of the small boy was frankly astounding.

 

There was thankfully a way that Dean could exhaust himself and Castiel relax after work, which came in the form of the small children’s park not to far from the Winchesters home.

 

"Cas? Cas? Are you watching me Cas? WATCH ME CAS!" Dean’s ten year old voice screeched out across the park, rousing Castiel out of his mind numbing stupor of inappropriately crunching numbers while seated at the park bench.

 

Fondly, Castiel raised his head, pen tucked behind his ear. He spotted Dean instantly, some intrinsic part of him being able to sense his younger mate as though a red thread of string ran between them.

 

"Yes Dean I’m watching." He smiled, assuring the younger boy. Castiel gave Dean an encouraging smile, and was met with a gap toothed grin in reply. Yet before Castiel could focus on Dean’s trick (which quite possibly was just a faster more reckless repeat of his last trick, sliding down the fireman’s pole) as shadow crossed over Castiel’s spread out pages as someone stood in front of him.

 

"You’re very good with him," a voice said-female, cool and crisp like running water. The woman before Castiel was short with kind eyes and strawberry blonde hair. She couldn’t have been much older than Castiel himself. She looked down on him with a small smile which relayed some amusement at Castiel’s crumpled suit, scattered papers and flushed appearance.

 

Flushed because this female smelt like Liquorice, deep and sweet and pleasing to Castiel’s senses.

 

 _Alpha_.

 

It was even more uncommon for a biological female to also be Alpha as it was for a biological male to be Omega. Though both were infertile, and somewhat lone in society they were not outright prejudiced against yet not outright accepted.

 

Until this moment Castiel had never found himself attracted to a female before.

 

"Oh I’m sorry here." Castiel gathered up his papers, piling them off the the side as he made a space for the woman.

 

"Thank you," she smiled and extended one hand. "My names Amelia."

 

"Castiel," Castiel said and sat on his papers to keep them flat.

 

He heard Amelia stifle a laugh behind her hand and flushed uncharacteristically embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

 

"It’s alright." Amelia smiled. She had a kind smile. "I was just saying how good you are with him."

 

"Dean?" Castiel straightened as his cheeks heated with the compliment. Of course he was good with Dean. He was the best when he was with Dean. "Thank you."

 

"My Claire is over there." Amelia said gesturing to the other side of the park where a blonde headed girl was playing on the swings. Castiel had to wonder whether the small child was a relatives or whether Amelia had adopted- though is wasn’t appropriate to ask such things of a stranger.

 

Amelia smiled softly her eyes on her child, “It’s hard being a single parent isn’t it?”

 

A little bit of bile that Castiel choked back, rose in his throat. No no no, he wasn’t Dean’s _parent_ \- but of course Amelia would think that, anyone would think that. Dean was a child only Castiel could see who Dean truly was, what they truly were to each other.

 

Castiel looked down at his hands which were fists in his lap. With effort, he loosened them and leant back on the bench.

 

"Dean is not my son."

 

Pity and something like empathy flittered over Amelia’s face- obviously assuming that since Castiel was barren, he filled some aching maternal hole inside of him by playing babysitter for a friend or family member.

 

If only that were true.

 

"I’m sorry Castiel I just assumed."

 

"No, you’re not the first to it’s alright." Castiel told her reassuringly.

 

Amelia nodded, looking back out across the park. “Even if he’s not your own it’s good of you to look after him. “

 

Castiel shifted in his seat as Amelia looked him over. The smell of liquorice intensified in the air and Castiel found his next inhale was deeper than the one before- the scent of an unmated, willing Alpha too heady to ignore.

 

Amelia cast her eyes over him before they settled on his face. “It’s refreshing to find that quality in a man.”

 

Castiel may have flirted back, he may have leant in and boldly asked the Alpha woman to dinner- it had been an awfully long time since Castiel had had company during his heats, had a way to sate the ache inside of him- but none of that happened or was going to happen…

 

The sweet scent of pine needles and ocean air signalled Dean’s approach.

 

"Cas!" the young boy whined, disregarding everything else entirely he clamoured into Castiel’s lap and wrapped his arms around the older man’s neck as though he belonged there, as though he had some sort of claim. “You weren’t watching me.”

 

Castiel sighed and closed his eyes briefly encircling Dean in his arms. Every trace scent of Amelia was immediately overshadowed by Dean’s presence, just him filling up all the spaces beside Castiel and inside.

 

A part of Castiel felt sick, of sharing his heats, himself with another.

 

Another part of him, even greater than the first, was disgusted that that part of him felt that way.

 

"What do you want?" Dean asked, his tone rude which was the complete opposite to his gaze which rested on Amelia carefully, calculating.

 

"Dean!" Castiel barked, shifting the boy in his lap. "Dean that was very rude!"

 

Dean puffed out his cheeks in a pout, his freckles flaming.

 

Amelia laughed not the least bit affected. “No it’s alright.” she said easily sliding closer to the two males, “Hello Dean, my name’s Amelia, I was just talking to your uncle here.”

 

What Castiel could only assume was unconscious Dean’s arms tightened around his neck as he made a face.

 

"Cas ain’t my uncle,” he said brushing his little hand through Castiel’s hair, fingers playing with the longer curls at the base of his neck. A distinctly possessive action that had Amelia's eyes widening. “He’s my mate.”

 

Two things happened at once after that.

 

Something warm slipped through Castiel’s chest at the verbal acknowledgement of his mate, the complete acceptance and rightness that came from the term.The feeling may not have lasted long but it was there- standing up against the fear and embarrassment wrecking through Castiel’s body, like a little ball of light in his chest.

 

Second the smell of liquorice exploded in a rush of anger and outrage and disgust. Amelia’s eyes widened as she rose rather fast, and placed herself between Castiel and where Claire was visible- as though she viewed Castiel as a threat.

 

And Castiel was a threat, to her he was a _pedophile_.

 

The stink of Alpha outrage, red hot and burning, permeated from the small woman directly toward Castiel. Amelia’s disgust was like a physical thing pressing down on Castiel from all sides.

 

If it hadn’t of been for Dean’s presence he would have fallen to his knees, bore his neck- the more primal part of his omega pleading to be spared the Alpha’s wrath.

 

"I’m sorry." Castiel found himself whimpering as he rose, gripping Dean in his arms on his hip whether in protection or to feel protected he didn’t know.

 

To be protected by his ten year old, unpresented mate- the thought was almost laughable.

 

Castiel continued apologising almost bowing under Amelia’s- the Alpha’s wrath. He collected his papers and turned with Dean on his hip, practically fleeing the park with his tail through his legs. Castiel ran to the car with the single minded determination to get out of there instantly. His movements were mechanical as he reached the car, barley aware of what he was doing.

 

"You should not have said that Dean.” he scolded a bitter weight settling in his heart as he pulled the drivers door shut behind him, Dean sitting in the passengers seat.

 

Castiel wasn’t man enough to admit he drove from the park as though escaping a natural disaster. Would Amelia take down his number plate and call the police? Could the police even arrest him for something such as this?

 

Castiel didn’t _choose_ to be one have of a mated pair, he didn’t _choose_ to love Dean.

 

He rubbed a hand over his face, the car was thick with his own frigid scent and Dean’s which was whirling like flames in a mix of confusion and fear- enough so it made it hard for Castiel to concentrate.

 

He felt Dean watching him, the young boys worry thick and cloying the air.

 

"What Cas? What did I say? Why are we leaving?"

 

"That I’m your _mate_." Castiel growled. "you cannot say things like that in public Dean- it makes people feel-feel...  _uncomfortable_.”

 

"Why? S’ true." said Dean, pressing his face against the glass looking out behind them as the park grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

 

"Dean you can’t just _say_ that.”

 

An angry flush unfitting for Dean’s sweet face, filled his cheeks. “But you’re _mine_.” he crossed his arms and glared at Castiel- a challenge in his eyes. “And I wanna go back to the park, I wasn’t done playin.”

 

Castiel glanced in the re-view mirror, no cop cars in sight. “No. Dean, I’m taking you home.”

 

"I want to keep playing."

 

"No Dea-"

 

_"TAKE ME BACK TO THE PARK NOW CAS!"_

 

Dean’s Alpha voice shot through Castiel like a firecracker. A whimper tore from Castiel’s throat as he jerked the car to the side of the road, barely away of what he was doing as he pulled off the road and parked.

 

It hurt, physically _hurt_ to disobey his Alpha. Dean sounded so angry so disappointed in his omega- in Castiel, that Castiel wanted to roll over and beg for his forgiveness.

 

He didn’t even realise he’d stumbled out of the car and fallen to the gravel like a dog until he felt his Alpha's hand shaking his shoulder and someone screaming.

 

Dean’s fear made his scent sour and made Castiel whine like an abused animal.

 

"Cas? CAS?" Dean shook Castiel’s shoulder but Castiel felt numb, ripped up as a sudden wave of nausea overwhelmed him, paralysing him. "We don’t have to go back to the park Cas- we can just go home. Cas? _Castiel!"_

 

_Dean. Mate. Dean. Mate. Dean afraid. Mate. Mate._

 

"Dean," Castiel choked, realising the ten year old was kneeling in the dirt beside him, his mint green eyes wide and wet, cheeks streaked with tears. “Oh Dean,”

 

Castiel fell onto his backside as Dean launched himself against him and buried his face in the dip between Castiel’s neck and shoulder, his small frame shuddering.

 

"I didn’t mean to C-Cas." Dean sobbed, clinging desperately to Castiel now. "I don't- I don't know-"

 

"Shhh Dean, Shhh," Castiel lifted Dean into his arms, doing his best to ignore the flood of tears soaking the collar of his shirt. "Shhh beloved I’m here."

 

Dean did not calm down for some time- his small body trembling as he rode the shock-waves of his Alpha’s first surface. They ended up with Castiel’s back against his car, Dean on his lap grabbing fistfuls of his shirt.

 

After some gentle coaxing and hushed murmurings, Castiel did manage to get them both back into the car, gently unwinding Dean from around him as he sat him in the passenger seat, before returning behind the wheel. He carefully made sure Dean was safe and wasn’t triggered into clinging onto him again. As comforting as it was to have Dean in his arms Castiel needed to focus in order to speak.

 

"Dean," Castiel said, keeping his voice soft, his hand stroking Dean’s back. "Do you remember what we spoke about to you? Your mother, father and me? About mates?"

 

Dean sniffed and rubbed his sleeve under his nose. “Uh-huh.”

 

“We explained that having a mate- a _true mate,_ was a very special thing.” Castiel edged closer in his seat rubbing soothing circles into Dean’s small shoulders that slumped under his ministrations. His scent was already easing, sweetening as Castiel comforted him. “A mate is someone who you share your life with unconditionally. Who is your perfect match emotionally, spiritually-” _physically_. Well Castiel had his doubts about that one. He swallowed and smoothed Dean’s hair from his forehead, prompting the boy to look at him.

 

“Someone who is your friend, but so much more because they care for you just as much as you care for them.”

 

“Like a best friend.” Dean said, remembering the conversation. He looked up at Castiel with red rimmed green eyes, reached over and folded his fingers into Castiel’s shirt, his fist rested upon Castiel’s breastbone, right above his heart.

 

“Yes Dean,” Castiel intoned softly bending down low to rub at Dean’s cheeks, wiping away the trace of tears, “like a best friend.”

 

Dean tilted his head into the touch and closed his eyes. “So I can tell people you’re my best friend?” he asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

The thought seemed to please Dean as the air thickened with a salty pine smell. “And I won’t yell at you again,” Dean swallowed, a sudden apprehension in his eyes as he opened them. “Cas, I-I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

 

Dean was a very smart, very empathetic boy and he loved Castiel, as much as a ten year old could love another person.

 

And that would be enough for Castiel. 

 

“I know Dean, I know you didn’t mean to.”

 

“I’ll never do it again, okay?” Dean said, and then he leant forward, fighting the restrains of his seatbelt to press his lips to Castiel’s cheek and cup the older man's cheeks in his hands. The kiss was brief-sloppy, wet, clumsy, and the most perfect thing Castiel could have ever wanted.

 

“Promise.” Dean repeated drawing back.

 

Warmth flared through Castiel’s chest making it suddenly hard to breathe.

 

“I believe you Dean,” he said, his omega practically purring at the open affection from his Alpha. It was a new feeling, unfamiliar, but so pleasant that it had a smile spreading across Castiel’s lips unbidden. “I believe you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always my tumblr can be sound here 
> 
> soupernabturel.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean (13) and Castiel (26) 
> 
> It's Valentines day and Mary Winchester gets an unexpected call regarding her eldest son

The last thing Mary Winchester expected to do on Valentine’s Day was to be sitting in the principal’s office of Lawrence Middle School, with quite possibly the most obnoxious man in the world.

 

“You know we take physical violence very seriously Mrs Winchester,” spoke Mr Adler, staring Mary down from across a large ash wood desk, “I assure you Alistair Maveris’ parents have been called and an appropriate punishment for his behaviour will be sought, but the fact of the matter is that when staff intervened it was your son sitting atop of Alistair and taking violent action against him.”

 

Mary winced. That had been the story of the scene; what the school nurse had told her once she’d arrived to find Dean a little cut a little scraped, with only a black eye to show for his trouble, while the Alistair boy had a broken nose and was significantly worse for wear.

 

“Potential Alpha’s tend to get more aggressive around this age, every schooling institute in America understands this and has procedures in place accordingly, but that is no reason to be lenient in the aftermath of a school yard fight. Regardless of gender designation we must be strict.” Continued Adler. “Which is why I believe it would be prudent for Dean to spend some time out of the school.”

 

A heat flash of rage swept through Mary gathering in her chest. “You’re suspending him?” she asked incredulously, “You’re punishing my son when he is the _victim_ -”

 

“ _Y_ _our son_ is the victim of circumstance Mrs Winchester, and quite truly, were you to see this other boy, you might even question if he was the victim at all.”

 

Mr Adler, a balding man in his forties, swept a hand down over his face as though he was suddenly very tired. “As per your and Mr Winchester’s discretion several members of staff, myself included, are aware of your son’s… _condition._ ”

 

Mary felt her composure slip, her grip on the chair beneath her tightened. “Condition? He has a _mate_ that doesn’t mean-”

 

“With all due respect Mrs Winchester puberty is hard enough without adding the cocktail of emotions and chemicals brought on by a mate into the mix. Dean is, in this case, quite simply acting out in a violent manner brought on from confusion and rage from a chemical anomaly-”

 

Unable to hear it any more, Mary rose from her seat, towering over the suited man. “There is nothing wrong chemically or otherwise with either my son or his mate. You would do well to remember that _my son_ was bullied today Mr Adler,” her voice broke around the word _bullied_ , as something tender and soft inside her hardened. “Dean was targeted and hit by a far older and may I say aggressive student, which is a far simpler and far different issue than this situation between my son and Ca- his _mate_.” Mary swallowed, her composure trembling. “I can’t believe you expect me to sit here and listen to you twist this situation around and somehow blame my son’s mate on this.”

 

“The fact of the matter is Mrs Winchester that thirteen year old boys do not send fifteen year old boys to the hospital, unless something is intricately wrong with them.” Said Adler very calmly. “I am sorry but this community does not condone the lifestyle of a- a pseudo mating between a minor and an adult. Which is why it would be best that until this situation as you so call it is resolved, that it would be safer for our students if Dean was to undertake the bulk of his education at home,” He rose from his seat too, matching Mary in height as he turned to the door, opening it for her, a clear sign of dismissal that had Mary’s blood boiling.

 

“There are certain surgeries and medications, or so I have heard, that take care of unsuitable mate bonds.”

 

Mary could not believe Zachariah Adler was suggesting such things. “The side effects of which can seriously damage the recipient, that and perhaps irreversibly damage both people-”

 

“The miracles of modern medicine do not come without their drawbacks,” Adler said, casting a pointed eye out of the door. “Might I suggest you ask _Mr Novak_ , to think about what is best for Dean, after all the means ultimately do account to the end.”

 

***

 

In the Impala, driving away from the school, Mary made a pointed effort of silencing John’s usual classic rock music, in favour of trying to get through to her eldest son. “Alright,” she said slapping her hands to the steering wheel, “talk to me.”

 

Dean at thirteen years, was still on the cusp of childhood, with freckly cheeks and gangly limbs, he was a thin boy with the brightest smile Mary had ever seen, though to look at him now, bruised, hunched in on himself and quiet, you’d never know the bright joyful boy beneath.

 

“Dean?” Mary pressed but only gently.

 

With his knees drawn up to his chest and his face smushed into his arms it was hard for Dean to speak without his voice muffled. “He said my card was dumb,” Mary managed to make out, “Alistair, he snatched it out of my hand and ripped it.”

 

Mary frowned, stopping at the lights as she looked over at him. “Your card?”

 

Dean sniffed, a young, quiet sound and put his knees down, rummaging in his rucksack. It took a moment but before too long he pulled from the depths what looked like a crumpled ball of sky blue, yellow and black paper. Mary could only just make out, the words written ‘Bee mine’ in Dean’s hand writing before Dean was sniffing more wetly now and shoving the remains back into his bag.

 

Oh, Dean.

 

“Oh, Dean.” Mary said, resting one hand on her son’s knee as she continued driving. She wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in her arms and press kisses into his hair, hating how defeated Dean seemed, how ugly the purpling mark on his cheek was turning.

 

As a mother she wanted to take her sons pain and make it her own, just to save him the weight on his already heavy heart.

 

“We were making them at school today, you know to give to everyone.” Dean said wiping a hand under his nose as he straightened looking out the window. “It- it was a bee, Cas likes bees.” If Mary had been watching him instead of the road she might have been able to see the small pained smile cross Dean’s lips. “He told me once how one day we’re gonna move out of the city, get a house with some land and stuff and he’ll be able to keep bees all in the backyard and have a garden.”

 

“We?” Mary asked, turning down onto their street. “Castiel said _we_?”

 

“He meant it.” Dean affirmed, for a moment looking very much older than his thirteen years, his expression serious and pensive. “He didn’t say it, he never says it, but I know he meant we were gonna move out to the country together. One day.”

 

Mary loved Castiel, dearly, in the last three years she had grown close to the other omega, had come to know him, not only as a neighbour and as Dean’s future partner, but as a friend.

 

That did not mean she wasn’t uncomfortable with certain aspects of his and Dean's...situation. Of the implication of true mates, of the strangeness of the idea of Dean and Castiel together. Male Omega’s themselves where not an everyday occurrence, and first and foremost Mary wanted what was best for Dean. Dean’s connection to Castiel, until now, had proven nothing if not good for the boy, and good for the older man.

 

But all of that discomfort melted away when she was reminded in either thought or action of just how happy Castiel made her son feel, and visa versa.

 

“Dean, you know that it is important that you keep your bond with Cas private-”

 

Dean groaned long-sufferingly, having had this conversation no less than a hundred times before, with John, Mary and Castiel. “I’m not a kid mom I know I can’t go around shouting out about how much I love Cas okay? I get it.” Mary’s foot pressed down on the accelerator just the tiniest bit, at the word love so confidently and so nonchalantly leaving her son’s lips.

 

If Dean noticed his mother’s reaction he didn’t say anything.

 

“I just, I dunno, wanted to do something nice for him today. He gets sad sometimes about-” Dean gestured vaguely to himself with one hand, his knuckles cleaned and bandaged. “I just wanna make him happy.”

 

“Maybe,” Mary licked her lips, thinking before she spoke as she pulled into their driveway, “Castiel would like it if you went and saw him today for- for Valentines.”

 

She stuttered around the word, forcing it out and was glad for it as soon as she did.

 

Dean perked up instantly, an almost smile on his face as he looked eagerly, automatically to Castiel’s house beside theirs.

 

“Just for a couple of hours.” Mary said more sternly. “I know it isn’t your fault what happened with Alistair I do, but that is no excuse for you Dean to hit another person like that. Mr Adler is right that some form of punishment has to be given to you.”

 

Dean deflated, but not completely. “So I’m grounded.” He said brows furrowed. “How long?”

 

“A few hours, maybe three.” Mary said, keenly aware of Dean staring at her with a sudden mix of shock and gratitude. “But then I can’t exactly help it if your father and I have dinner plans arranged for tonight, and the only person available to look after Sam just so happens to be our very close, very kind neighbour.”

 

Dean leaning across the car seat, his seat belt quickly undone so he could hug her, took Mary by surprise. She smiled over the top of his head and she hugged him back.

 

“Thanks mom.”

 

"You're welcome sweetie," she said and kissed his hair. Dean was her baby after all- and Mary was a mother. She'd do whatever she could to love and support him.

 

***

 

As soon as the car came to park in the driveway, Mary (needing to return to work) took Dean over to Castiel’s house to drop him off for the afternoon. Castiel luckily usually only worked morning shifts on a Wednesdays so Mary hoped beyond hope that the man was home.

 

Relief could be one thing Mary felt when Castiel answered the door on Dean’s second knock.

 

“Hey Cas,” Dean said and like all boys with crushes his age, averted his gaze shyly as he tried to smile around his bruise.

 

“Hello De- _Dean_!” Castiel took a startled step forward, bent down low in the doorway as he stared at Dean. “What happened to your _face_?”

 

“Got hit, it’s okay though,” Dean said, not even reacting as Castiel cupped his face, running his thumb lightly over the bruise on his face, “you should see the other guy.”

 

“Dean what-” Castiel choked, still clutching Dean’s face in his hands as he stared up at Mary imploringly, “ _Mary_ -”

 

“Dean was in a fight, at school today.”  Mary explained, strangely comforted by Castiel’s reaction. If there wasn’t proof before that Castiel truly cared for her son, all doubt was removed now, as Castiel carefully and thoroughly checked Dean over, making his own assessment to Dean’s well being.  

 

“Alistair’s a dick.” Dean said standing patiently, allowing Cas his time to examine him.

 

“Language.” Mary scolded and Dean flushed red, the hue of his bruise deepening.

 

A sudden low growl escaped Castiel’s throat, pricking at Mary’s omega making her stand on end. Easily Castiel swept Dean into his arms and hugged him tight to his chest, before drawing back to look Dean in the eye, a hand to either side of his face. “Alistair, this boy has been harassing you?”

 

There was something darker, more primal in Castiel’s voice then that had Mary taking one step forward, closer to the pair.

 

“Ca-as!” Dean wriggled out of Castiel’s hold, red as a tomato and flustered like a stunned bird. He shook Cas off who let out a low growl, but let Dean part with a quick deep inhale as though he was trying to calm himself. “You’re suffocating me man seriously I’m fine.”

 

Castiel’s scent, usually sweet and fresh, soured in the air. “You never said anything about being bullied at school Dean.”

 

“He’s just been saying some stuff, you know, calling me an omega bitch,” the two adult omega’s flinched at the gendered slur, Dean lowered his head, kicking at the ground, “just stuff.”

 

Castiel’s lip curled back as he bared his teeth, his scent was heady palpable, and Mary felt her omega tense in flight.

 

Castiel rose, standing tall and turned to his drive way, making a move for his car, his hands curled into fists, “I’m going to go down there-”

 

That would be a very bad idea.

 

Mary extended a hand intending to stop him. “Castiel-”

 

“No Cas, don’t.” Dean said and Castiel stilled instantly, though his shoulders were a tight line, his back still toward the two Winchesters. Mary watched stunned as Dean went to him, grabbed onto Castiel’s hand and tugged the man back down to his own level. Castiel complied instantly, not because he was compelled by his more submissive nature, but purely because he wanted to.

 

In a gesture that Mary had not seen outside of long time mated pairs, Mary watched as Dean tilted his neck to the side, and at the same time, coaxed Castiel closer with a hand to his shoulder, before helping Castiel bury his face in the dip of his neck and freckled shoulder, where his scent was the richest and most potent.

 

Where, if they were to complete their mating, Dean would place a bite to Castiel's own neck, symbolising their bond.

 

Castiel’s scent in the air sweetened instantly, as the obvious proximity and smell of his mate seemed to calm him.

 

“I’m okay, okay? See,” Dean said quietly, stroking the back of Castiel’s hair as the elder man wrapped large arms around him. Castiel took deep inhale after deep inhale, though his hands still remained hanging loose, almost stunned by his sides. Dean’s voice when he spoke was low soothing and so completely unlike the rambunctious boy Mary knew that she stared mouth agape.

 

She felt, no she _knew_ she was intruding and an intimate and private moment.

 

And even then, she was unsure of how she felt about it, watching a man Castiel's age be so intimate, so comforted by her son.

 

“I’m fine really.” Dean repeated, as Castiel drew back, all tenseness from his body evaporated, every line of worry and anger in his face was gone, replaced with a look of outright devotion and adoration that it had Mary’s heart skipping a beat. Dean cupped Castiel’s larger cheek, much in the same way he had when the two first met, and smiled though it probably hurt the bruise on his face.

 

“Don’t get in trouble because of me.” He said gently, then let Castiel go.

 

As though a string had been cut between them, Castiel suddenly seemed to remember Mary was watching, he drew back harshly, standing, his face burning as he looked as though he had just been kicked. “I-ah-I-”

 

Mary hated to see that look on the younger man’s face, hated to see the fear and shame settling there. “Is it alright Castiel if I leave Dean here with you?” she asked, interrupting him before he could stutter out an excuse, or worse an apology. “I need to go back to work.”

 

Castiel ducked his gaze, his lashes half-moon crescents atop of his cheeks. Not for the first time, Mary thought that Castiel himself would grow into more than the attractive man he was now. “Of course it is fine with me Mary, there is no question.”

 

Dean truly grinned for the first time since Mary had picked him up. Standing in Castiel’s space (or perhaps Castiel standing in his own) Dean nudged his shoulder into his mates side. “And later, cos mom and dad wanna do all their romance stuff tonight, you wanna come over and hang out with me and Sam?” suddenly shy, Dean shrugged and blushed sweetly. “You know if you wanna.”

 

“Unless you have other plans?” Mary asked, it was Valentine’s Day after all, and Castiel was young- younger than her at least, and as aforementioned attractive, surly the omega man would not be lost for dates.

 

Castiel swallowed and stuttered his answer. “I-I do not have other plans, no.”

 

“Awesome.” Dean said, completely forgetting that Mary was there as his attention focused in solely on the elder man, “Cos we’ve still gotta watch the rest of Indiana Jones to watch-”

 

Mary left her two boys to it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean (26) and Castiel (39) have come a long way since their official first mating when Dean was sixteen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:
> 
> \- Nsfw in the last third  
> \- Bottom!Dean so if you don't like skip after the second ***

“So what did you fight about?” Lisa asked looking at Dean over the rim of her beer glass.

 

Dean swallowed his next mouthful and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. The two of them were sitting at the back of the pub, sharing a small booth between them, Dean on one side, Lisa on the other. Dean had been coming to this place for a fair while, which was actually how he met Lisa, a waitress here, one of the few familiar enough with him that Dean would like to consider her a friend. This evening she had just finished her shift and noticed Dean sulking in the corner, nursing a scowl and a stiff whiskey, two things that generally meant he’d had a row with his better half.

 

Dean liked Lisa enough, he really did. She was nice, Dean thought, not having many omega friends himself, what with his own Alpha status. He found Lisa interesting, like Cas a bit, as she wasn’t intimidated (nor deterred) from a friendship with Dean by their designations as so many people would have been. Cas and Lisa were Omega’s of a different crop, Dean thought, Omega’s who didn’t let their sex control their lives. Besides Lisa was a good friend, happily lending an ear when Dean needed it, which coincidently was what he needed now, more so than the alcohol making his fingers tickle.

 

“Cas,” Dean answered her, cheeks warm with whiskey. He leant back further in his seat and rubbed a calloused hand over his face, “he’s just so-so, fucking infuriating!”

 

At the end of his word he made a move for another swig of whiskey, but was stopped by Lisa’s hand on his arm, making him pause.

 

“Woah, okay- maybe take it easy on the whiskey there,” she said as Dean relented and set the drink aside.

 

“Sorry, it’s just so fucked!”

 

“Fucked?” Lisa raised an eyebrow.

 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, _Fucked_.” He felt Lisa’s warm brown eyes on him and felt as though he could speak freely, “I mean, I come home today, you know, expecting a little love, maybe a little grinding,” Lisa smirked at Dean but said nothing allowing him to continue, “but I get home and Cas just is all quiet practically ignoring me. He was mad quiet you know? So I say hi and ask if there’s anything to eat and he just flips!” Dean threw his hands up in the air, his chest feeling uncomfortably tight, replaying the memory.

 

“He yells at me, something about hair and babies?”

 

“Babies?” Lisa asked with widened eyes.

 

Dean felt something of the fight leave him then. He ducked his head and said a little quieter. “Yeah, turns out, Cas want’s kids.”

 

“Wow that’s-that’s.” Lisa blanked, then leant across the table her chest pressed against the edge, as brown eyes locked to green. “Do you want kids Dean?” she asked.

 

Something hot jumped in Dean’s throat. “Yeah. But not right now I’m only twenty six!”

 

“And Cas is what? Forty?” Lisa asked, not unkindly. “You can’t blame him for wanting a family Dean, I mean he is an _omega_ after all.”

 

That coming from Lisa was actually pretty funny.

 

“Way to go all 1950’s on me Lis,” Dean laughed though not really feeling it. Lisa slapped his arm playfully and rolled her eyes.

 

In the respite, the both took the opportunity to have a drink.

 

“I mean, it’s not just the kid thing alright?” Dean went on, tongue sufficiently loosened by the steady stream of alcohol. “I mean Cas just flipped over this, it isn’t like him. That’s what’s getting to me.”

 

Lisa pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Is it his heat? I mean, I know a lot of Omega’s including myself who get a little antsy just before.”

 

“S’plains all those time’s you’ve snapped at me.” Dean joked.

 

Lisa looked across at him, unimpressed.

 

Officially scolded Dean ducked his head and took a drink. “Sides It’s not heat, Cas and me we sync up, always have.” Dean smiled for a moment looking to the fore ground, “One of Cas’ heats actually kick started me into presenting.”

 

Lisa looked taken aback by that. She knew Dean and Cas had been together a long time, but didn’t know it was quite that long. “You must have been what? Fifteen, Sixteen.”

 

“Fifteen,” Dean smiled, “God I was such a twink then.”

 

Lisa looked him over with a wandering eye. “Only then?” she laughed.

 

“Shut up,” Dean spat but only mildly, “It’s funny, looking back on it now, I was so freaking embarrassed walking in on Cas during his heat.”

 

Lisa’s mouth popped open in the same comical expression that almost everyone else had had when Dean had told them this story.

 

“You walked in on him,” she giggled, nudging Dean’s foot with her own beneath the table, “Now I need to hear the whole story to that!”

 

“There’s not much to tell you know we were neighbours when I was a kid.” Lisa nodded. “So it was just one time while Cas was in heat and everything sorta just clicked into place for me, I felt like he needed me, and that feeling just grew and grew over the next few days till I couldn’t take it any more.”

 

“Was there ever any doubt that you were Alpha?” Lisa asked grinning.

 

Dean rolled his eyes. “So anyway, I just went over to Cas’ house cos I knew in here,” he tapped his chest, “that Cas needed me. That I was supposed to be with him, keeping guard, protecting him, because a part of me knew he was vulnerable.”

 

“You didn’t know he was in heat at the time?”

 

“Not until I walked up to his bedroom, opened the door and uh-” Dean cleared his throat, “saw him.”

 

Lisa’s face split into the widest most amused grin Dean had ever seen. “Oh my god! That’s hilarious!”

 

Dean laughed along with her, having told the story enough times to no longer feel the burn of humiliation from it. He had been younger then and now, he’d seen Cas far more naked and beached then he ever had that first time. “At the time it was embarrassing and terrifying.” He shook his head remembering how frozen he had been standing in Cas’ bedroom doorway, watching as the Omega male, in the midst of his heat, was completely oblivious to his audience.

 

Dean unconsciously crossed his legs beneath the table, hoping that his stirring arousal at the memory hadn’t sunken into his scent. At least not enough for Lisa to notice.

 

“Cas was really good about it though,” he went on, “He- well, he stopped and got dressed when he noticed me. He took my hand and led me back home, cos I was practically catatonic you know? Imagine how a fifteen year old boy would react to live action 3D porn? Even if it was just a glimpse.” Or several, Dean thought, not willing to relay to Lisa the fact that he’d come in his pants like the fifteen year old he was, just from the sight of Cas in the throes of heat.

 

Dean licked his lips involuntarily and chased his next swallow with a mouthful of whiskey, “So Cas just walks be back home, mumbling and groaning about suppressants, still in full heat mind you. So he knocks on my moms door and mom answers, and her face-”

 

Dean laughed, god Mary’s face when she’s opened the door to her catatonic son and a shirtless, heat flushed sweating Cas practically throwing Dean into her arms. With the distance and time that had come from that moment, the whole scenario had now grown to have a fond place in Dean’s heart.

 

“So Cas drops me off, tells my mom he’ll be ‘indisposed’ for the next few days, then he just walks back home normal as anything. The next morning I woke up for my first rut, and a year after that Cas and I got together.”

 

Lisa laughed happily, with her head held back, exposing the pink and silver scar tissue of her own mating mark. Dean sometimes forgot that Lisa, like him, mated young- granted her and Matthew were the same age. It was probably one of the reasons why Dean and Lisa got along so well, they had the same understanding, Dean felt as though he could talk openly with Cas because on some level in some way Lisa understood.

 

“You had a fucked up childhood you know that Dean?”

 

“Wasn’t conventional sure, but it gave me Cas,” Dean paused lifting the whiskey glass to his lips, feeling suddenly sober. “I should go home.”

 

Lisa nodded gently “you should,” the two of them rose, drinks left behind as Lisa walked Dean to the door, still needing to get her own stuff from out back. “And talk to Cas okay Dean? About kids,” she hugged him, her strawberry scent pervading his nostrils as her hair tickled the underside of his nose.

 

“It seems as though in spite of everything you guys have a really good relationship.”

 

Dean’s heart warmed at the sentiment as he gave her a quick squeeze “Yeah,” he said feeling a warmth, void of alcohol, fill his chest, one hopelessly linked with Cas. “Yeah we do.”

 

***

 

Dean and Cas had moved sometime ago into a small studio apartment near Cas’ work and Dean’s college, about ten minutes off campus. It wasn’t that late by the time Dean got home, easing himself into the darkened apartment and in response to the familiar combination of both his and Cas’ scent in their home, he felt himself relaxing however minimally.

 

Shucking his jacket onto the couch Dean made his way to the lit by kitchen, only to be met halfway there by a flustered Cas.

 

The years, almost ten since they’d got together, had been kind to Cas. Though Dean was of a somewhat biased opinion. The lines of Cas’ face had deepened somewhat his jawline and nose had sharpened shifting him from simply attractive to classically handsome. He was tall, though (funnily enough for Dean) just a few scant centimetres shorter than him, and leaner where Dean was stocky.

 

All in all Cas was a good looking man, omega or not, Dean struggled to even come up with a scenarios, a universe, where he wouldn’t be by Cas’ side.

 

It was weird how Cas could still look so attractive, even when he looked as though someone had kicked his puppy in the face.

 

“Dean I-”

 

“Cas,  Dean said, not waiting another moment as he stepped forward, arms instinctively reaching for the comfort of his mate, both to give and receive it. “Cas I’m so sorry.”

 

Cas stepped forward into Dean’s arms, embracing the other mas as he scented him, rubbing his cheek against Dean’s shirt collar. “No I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

 

Dean shushed his mate and held on tighter, for the first time all evening feeling truly at ease.

 

“That’s a lie,” Cas admitted, drawing back his blue eyes dark in the low light, “I do know what came over me.”

 

“Mind sharing with the class?” Dean asked still holding onto Cas, their hand entwined.

 

Cas nodded, and tugged on Dean’s hand, pulling him through the apartment. Dean followed obediently only growing more confused when Cas tugged him into the bathroom.

 

Releasing Dean, Cas approached the sunk and went for something Dean couldn’t see. The he stood, before Dean, and raised his hand punching between his fingers- absolutely nothing.

 

Dean guessed by Cas expectant look that he was supposed to be seeing something.

 

“Cas,” Dean edged carefully. He stared at Cas’ empty hand. “What the fuck am I looking at?”

 

“A hair.” Said Cas with absolute devastation. He wriggled his fingers and Dean finally caught sight of the paper thin filament. “A gray hair.”

 

Dean blinked. “Wait you mean,” he gestured to Cas’ considerably brown haired hair.

 

Surprisingly Cas shook his head his expression became especially sour.

 

“No,” he said and looked down.

 

 _Oh_.

 

“Baby,” Dean said stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Cas’ waist. “Did you freak out over a gray pube?”

 

“This isn’t funny Dean,” Cas groaned but folded into Dean’s embrace regardless, a tell-tale flush on his neck, revealing his embarrassment and shame. “it starts off with one hair and then before you know it-”

 

“You’re sporting a silver bush?” Dean joked, knowing it was bad to tease Cas like this but he just couldn’t pass up the chance.

 

Cas gave Dean a warning squeeze, his voice muffled in Dean’s neck but nonetheless meaning business. “Dean-”

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Dean said, slipping his hand down to his palms, just about Cas’ ass. “I know I shouldn’t laugh.”

 

“No you shouldn’t.” Cas said drawing back the single silver hair still between his fingers. “I’m almost forty Dean, this- this hair is just the beginning into a long descent into fragility into _menopause_ -”

 

Dean frowned, growing concerned as Cas turned from him, shoulders tight.

 

“Is this,” Dean edged carefully placing a hand lightly on Cas shoulder, “Is this like a midlife crisis?” Dean squeezed Cas shoulder, trying to make light of it. “To be honest I was expecting something worse.”

 

All of a sudden Cas drew away from Dean, dropping down to sit on the edge of the bath tub as he put his head in his hands. “Oh god.” He said from beneath muffled palms. “I’m middle aged!”

 

Dean felt his stomach drop to his toes as Cas’ scent usually sweet and welcoming like a great pine forest, became acidic and nasty in distress. “Hey hey Cas come’on.”

 

Dean dropped down before Cas on his knees, grabbing Cas’ wrists as he drew Cas’ hand down from his face. “Haven’t you ever noticed I’ve got a thing for older men?”

 

Cas, red rimmed eyes blinked as he huffed a half laugh.

 

“I’m serious!” Dean said, rubbing the knobs of Cas’ wrists with his thumbs “You rocking the whole silver fox look, kinda sexy.”

 

“Only kinda?” Cas asked with a gravelly voice, some of the amusement, the sheer Cas’ness had returned to his eye.

 

“Well by the time you’re really silver, I’ll probably be sporting a few gray hairs myself.” Dean grinned.

 

The thought of him and Cas together so long, the both of them matured by age, made something inside him glow and his Alpha purr contentedly.

 

“Dean,” Cas murmured, lifting a hand to Dean’s cheek to pull their foreheads together. “You’re too good to me.”

 

Dean huffed a laugh against Cas’ lips. “Yeah I know- ow!” he drew back when Cas swatted at him.

 

“And here I was about to offer to suck you off!” Dean muttered, moving back to a standing position as he brought Cas up with him.

 

“I’m exhausted,” Cas said, but looked to Dean teasingly. “You still may if you like, though I would prefer we move any more amorous activities to the bedroom.”

 

“Mmm,” Dean hummed and pressed a soft, sweet kiss against Cas’ lips, gently nibbling at the lower one, a promising tease for later.

 

“Who says grandpa’s can’t be sexy?” Dean drew from him with a harsh sound and Dean felt a little bit guilty.

 

“Too soon?”

 

“Yes,” Cas sighed forgiving Dean quickly as he slipped their hands together.

 

“I’ll make it up to you?” Dean offered as the two made their way to the bedroom “I’ll let you do that thing with my ass you love?”

 

Cas raised an interested brow and almost smiled. “What? Fuck you?”

 

“Yeah,” Dean agreed pulling Cas into the bedroom. “Unless your hip’s too put out to fuck me proper?”

 

“Dean!”

 

“Alright, alright,” Dean relented, pressing a kiss to Cas’ cheek, “That was the last one.”

 

 

***

 

“Oh _fuck-_ Cas, d- _don’t stop!”_

 

“I have-absolutely- no intention- of stopping.”

 

Dean’s spine rolled languidly as Cas pushed up into him from behind. He rocked back into Cas, his hips also moving forward, down on his hands and knees on their bed, it was as if Dean was fucking into someone as he was fucked into. God he loved it when Cas got like this, using his own slick to smooth his way into Dean.

 

It wasn’t conventional by any means, for an Omega to fuck their Alpha like this. But then Dean and Cas had never been one for convention. Dean supposed if he had grown up different, if he hadn’t had the advantage of Cas and two loving liberal parents (particularly Mary) then it might have been a part of his nature to cut himself off at pleasure at every turn if it didn’t suit the ideas of those around him.

 

Dean was not ashamed however to admit he liked this- loved even. His Alpha just went crazy being pressed into the mattress, filled with Cas’ come and slick.

 

Besides, Cas had sort of a primal streak that rose it’s beautiful head every time they were like this.

 

Cas wrapped his arms around and over Dean, one hand resting on Dean’s stomach, the other smoothing down, down teasing at Dean’s knot, skipping his cock completely. Stars burst behind Dean’s eyelids at the touch.

 

“Can you come just like this?” Cas asked (knowing Dean damn well could and had before). He breathed hotly into the crook of Dean’s neck snapping his hips forward.

 

Dean blessed every single deity out there that gifted every man-beta, alpha or omega- a prostate.

 

Dean moaned very quietly at a particularly loving tug to his knot from Cas, in direct contrast to his fierce thrusts.

 

“Come on Cas, Come on!” Dean groaned as Cas bit at the back of his neck. Dean felt crazed and lust dizzy. His cock was red shining with the precome leaking steadily. His knot was as hard as it would have been caught in Cas’ ass. Really how could so many Alpha’s completely disregard the ass as a beautiful place to fuck?

 

It certainly helped Deans argument that Cas kept squeezing him in time with every thrust.

 

“Dean!”

 

Delirious, Dean practically whined as Cas pounded deeper inside him. “Harder Cas, _harder!”_

 

Cas obliged him, working harder, losing his steady rhythm as he fucked Dean rougher, less controlled.

 

Dean bared his teeth and keened, eyes shut tight as the bed lurched with every thrust. His hole was wet, slippery and sore, not made for the rough fucking it was receiving, it may not have been strictly kosher, but god-

 

“I’m close Dean- _ugh_ , god I’m close.”

 

With Cas’ enthusiasm, his hand on Dean had stilled, gritting his teeth Dean grabbed his own cock and worked himself furiously in a closed fist.

 

He moaned eyes lidded, mouth open as he gasped. “Close?”

 

“Uh-huh,” Cas pressed a kiss, more like a pant, against Dean’s shoulder. “S-shall I-finish in-inside you?”

 

“Your-your- ah, choice- old man!” Dean gulped as Cas growled and remembering himself squeezed Dean’s knot just so-

 

Dean’s orgasm caught him by surprise, making him clench and freeze up as he began to spill against the bedspread, hot and thick between this fingers.

 

“Dean- _Dean, Dean!”_

 

Cas followed quickly spilling inside of Dean and filling him up, making him wet, almost like an omega.

 

Without the hassle and worry of a knot, Cas slipped out easily, quickly as Dean fell forward still plagued by his extended orgasm. Without much preamble Cas began absently suckling and stroking Dean’s cock, fondling and working his knot, as the Omega wrung orgasm after orgasm from his Alpha.

 

In the aftermath they both were sticky, messy and exhausted, which between Dean’s come soaked stomach and leaking ass and Cas’ sated cock and glistening with running slick thighs the sheets beneath them were beyond salvageable.

 

One of the few but strong reasons they hardly ever had sex this way.  

 

Shivering with fierce exhaustion Dean spread his arm allowing Cas to curl up against his side, the two of them breathing heavy laboured breaths.

 

Dean and Cas met each other’s eyes, their faces inches apart. Easily, like breathing, Dean drew Cas into a kiss, a hand cupping his jaw and throat.

 

“Did you mean what you said before?” Dean asked kissing Cas softly- lips barely touching, “do you want to have kids?”

 

Cas swallowed turning his head away, face into the pillow. “I’m infertile Dean, I hardly think It matters.”

 

“Ever heard of adoption, fostering, hell we could get Charlie to have a kid for us, if it weren’t so weird.”

 

“I seem to recall you saying ‘how can I have a fucking kid of my own, when I’m still a fucking kid myself.” Cas murmured, without the heat of the words that Dean had had with them before, back when they had fought.

 

Swallowing, Dean felt as though he wanted nothing more than to take those words back, that whole argument back. He should be so lucky, to be able to share a life with Cas, share children with him. “I dunno,” he said, “you would make an excellent father.”

 

Cas’ gaze softened and he brought Dean’s hand to his mouth in a kiss. “As would you.”

 

“We’ll talk about it okay,” he went on as Dean threaded their legs together, “in the morning.”

 

“In the morning,” Dean agreed and held him tightly. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too.” Cas smiled, relaxing into his Alpha's arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dean (16) and Castiel (29)
> 
> Just because Castiel and Dean are (legally and truly) mated now, doesn't mean that there isn't some hurdles to jump over.

The world was made of cotton balls, rainbows and fairy sprinkles after Cas’ heat.

 

Dean hadn’t stopped smiling since he and Cas had finally ( _finally_ ) mated. _Mated_. Dean and Cas. A mated pair, together. Cas with Dean’s mark upon his neck and Dean- well, housing a few marks himself, more than any sixteen year old he knew his age at least.

 

He couldn't wait to go to school, couldn't wait to tell his friends that finally it had happened.

 

Dean was practically vibrating, walking over to Cas’ house from his own, sporting the widest smile his face was possible of producing.

 

Cas- as on most of his weekends- was in his front yard, his hands (hands that had slid across Dean’s skin, hands that had caressed his sides and traced fine circles along the inside of his thighs) embedded into a ratty set of gardening gloves.

 

Dean was treated to the sight of Cas, kneeling in the dirt, with a holey shirt and an even holier pair of jeans that sat low on his hips. 

 

Dean was sixteen, rampant with Alpha hormones and a sex drive that could rival a horny rabbit, he couldn’t be blamed for the tightening of his pants at the sight of his mate digging into the dirt with such simple bliss, pert ass raised as he bent over the flower bed.

 

Warmth, unfiltered, blew up Dean’s chest as the words _his mate_ , trickled though his mind.

 

With a stealth that surprised even him, Dean approached Cas from behind. Soundless, right up until the moment of contact Dean wrapped his arms around Cas’ waist, crouched down as he nuzzled affectionately at the older man’s neck. “Hey Cas.”

 

It didn’t even matter if Cas could have smelt Dean’s approach (and his amusement and arousal) for a mile away now, each of their senses now finely attuned to the other. Dean still found it fun to sneak up on the older man and place fleeting kisses upon him.

 

Unfortunately, Cas’ shoulders were tense under Dean’s chin. He froze up, and only relaxed a little bit in his Alpha’s hold. “Hello Dean.”

 

Unaware, Dean pressed the smile that was threatening to surface into the back of Cas’ neck. On instinct he licked at the expanse of skin there, feeding the fire growing in his abdomen.

 

“Dean-” Cas’ voice was terse, not exactly the angle Dean was going for.

 

Though he only backed off when Cas’ scent, before sweet and calming with his contentment, sharpened with a citrus tang that was much too close to fear for Dean’s liking.

 

Dean shifted to Cas’ side, drawing the man’s face his way with a hand to his cheek. “What?”

 

It hurt when Cas pulled away, actually scuffing his knees in the grass as he moved. Creating distance between them.

 

“You can’t- we can’t.”

 

It was like a lead weight in Dean's gut or a quick punch to the sternum. “Oh,” for the first time, Dean was aware of how open Cas’ yard was, how many windows across the street were facing their way. How many other nosey white picket fence neighbours didn’t have work on the weekends, and just happened to be sitting on their porches, or in their lounge rooms, when their eyes would stray to the front of Cas’ yard.

 

“I thought cos we’re mates now, and technically I'm legal-” Dean swallowed, and let the sentence hang in the air between them- unsure himself of what he’d actually meant.

 

Just because they were mates and Dean was 16, it didn’t mean people wouldn't stare. Didn’t mean that people wouldn't judge, that Cas wouldn’t get ridiculed- maybe even hurt.

 

Dean let Cas’ face go and for the first time could see every line of pain on Cas’ face for the last six years and finally understood the reason.

 

“Dean,” Cas said quietly, his gloved fingers digging into the dirt by his knees, “you know it’s not that easy.”

 

“So nothing changes after, after _that_ , after we-”

 

“Dean, everything changes.” Cas insisted, placing a comically large hand on Dean’s knee. “Everything. But that doesn’t give us an excuse to- to make others uncomfortable.”

 

“Fuck others.” Dean growled and meant it.

 

“Dean,” admonished Cas, but he sounded so defeated, as much now as Dean though less angry. “Do not think my caution as shame for what we mean to each other.” Dean sat back on his ass, unaware of everything except for Cas’ blue eyed gaze, trapping him in place, rousing butterflies in his chest. Cas grew more and more animated, as he tried to get Dean to understand. “Do not think that my hesitation in kissing you, and touching you in the sight of others, is reluctance to kiss and touch you at all.”

 

Cas must have realized he was raising his voice, he quietened himself with obvious effort, his eyes on his hands. “I do love you, Dean.”

 

Cas had said that so many times now, screamed it into the air as Dean fucked him through his heat, whimpered it with his head tossed back as Dean tried to tease him, mumbled it in his sleep as Dean was wrapped up in his arms.

 

Dean took a ragged breath, understanding dawning. “You’re scared.”

 

Cas exhaled a shaky laugh. “Yes, I’m scared.” He raised his blue eyes, “and I don’t want anyone to hurt you.”

 

Dean felt shaken to his core. “Nobody’s gonna hurt me Cas. Or you.” he leaned in close to the older omega, facing his back to the street so no one could see him place his hand on the older man’s thigh and rub soothing circles into the denim. “We’ll take care of each other.”

 

Cas flushed, then gently placed his hand atop of Deans. “Yes. Yes we will.”

 

Someone walking by would smell nothing but affection from the two of them, affection and understanding that only came from the type of friends (for that was what Dean and Castiel truly were) who had known each other for years.

 

But as it was no one walked past, so bravely (and much to Dean's amusement)  Cas let their hands rest together, as much open affection he was willing to give, probably used to years of shameful hiding.

 

Dean felt s if thy didn't have to hide any more.

 

“So,” he squeezed Cas’ hand and tilted his head toward the garden bed. “What are ya planting here?”

 

Cas loved his garden, Dean knew that better than anyone. It was the easiest and most effective way to entice a big bright smile from him. Cas always looked so happy working on it, and now was no exception.

 

Dean’s heart skipped a beat when Cas actually tipped his head forward and leaned against him- for only a moment, blue eyes stared into green.

 

“Well, as you know we’re heading into late spring,” Cas said, facing the garden now, “so that means we’ll be planting-”

 

“Plants that bloom in July right?” Dean asked.

 

He felt his chest swell with happiness as Cas cast him another soft smile.

 

“Yes Dean,” he said and gestured to the potted plants on the other side of him. “These are Oakleaf hydrangeas, they’re a dormant plant, at least enough for the moment so we can transplant them.”

 

“Do you want me to start getting some holes ready?”

 

If Cas’ expression were to grow any more fond Dean feared he’d start to float away from how much his heart felt like flying.

 

“You’ve had a good teacher.” Cas said. With his messy black hair, his half-cocked smirk and gleam to his eyes he looked like a mischievous teenager. He bumped Dean’s shoulder with his own. “You know where the tools are.”

 

*******

 

They worked on the garden side by side long into the afternoon, till night threatened to take hold and steal all the natural light. They fell into a steady rhythm working together, talking about this and that, the everyday things that steered conversation.

 

“Hey ah Cas,” Dean bit his lip, “I don’t wanna run out on you or nothing, but-”

 

Cas looked up from his work for the first time in hours. “You’re expected home.” He rubbed a de-gloved hand over his neck, and looked a little woe-begotten. “Please tell Mary I didn’t mean to keep you.”

 

“You can tell her yourself?” Dean said, then backtracked at Cas’ confused look. “I mean, you could come over for dinner, if you want. If you don’t have any other plans.”

 

“I don’t-” Cas began, then took a breath. “If you’re sure-”

 

“Mom and Dad won’t mind Cas, you’re family now. Literally and Legally.”

 

Dean heard Cas inhale sharply. He looked across at him and met Cas’ eyes with his own. His eyes were blue. They’d always been blue, but Dean could swear now looking at him that something deeper lived in them, something warm and soft and just for him- only ever for Dean.

 

“Family.” Cas smiled, the lines around his eyes easing. “I like the sound of that.”

 

Dean smiled in return, and tried to pass off the emotion in his throat for a rough cough. “Yeah, well get used to it.”

 

A part of him wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch Cas, to kiss him, but Dean stopped himself before he could even move to touch Cas’ skin. He knew it would be too  _inappropriate_  a thing to do in public, even if they had some cover by the encroaching night.

 

So Dean didn’t. But he did help Cas rise to his feet, by taking the man’s hands in his own and pulling him up with their fingers intertwined.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean (10) and Castiel (23)
> 
> Dean and Castiel have a rocky start with John Winchesters less than welcoming view toward Castiel.

Were anyone to enter the eldest Winchester’s bedroom that day they would have a hard time for trying to find the ten year old amongst the chaos. Clothes and toys were strewn across the floor, in an impressive landscape of coloured mountains and an ocean of plastic toys and books. It was as though a cyclone had hit, with everything in the room being morphed into a hideous multicoloured landscape. But one that was infinitely amusing and bewitching for children.

 

But now was not the time to play, now Dean Winchester was on a mission.

 

“Which’d’ya think Sammy?” Dean asked his younger brother propped up against a nearby pile of not strictly clean t-shirts. Dean held in each hand a different shirt, two of his favourites, anyone who knew him would know. “I got the green on or the red one.”

 

Sammy shrugged and focused on pulling his toy truck up and over a small mound of shorts, beeping quietly to himself, lost in his game the only way a five year old could be.

 

“Cas likes flowers and stuff,” Dean said more to himself as he looked the two shirts over, “so he probably likes green.”

 

“But the red’s my favourite.” He amended, looking toward the brighter shirt.

 

It took a moment of deep deliberation for Dean to finally come to a decision and shrug his chosen shirt over his head, tossing the failing article over his shoulder.

 

“M’gonna go green,” he declared, rubbing down his front in an attempt to smooth himself out. He’d seen Dad do it when he wore his special shirts, so it seemed the right thing to do now. “And you, Sammy,” Dean said, stepping over plastic toys and smushed-in-the-carpet-crayons to get to his brothers side, and lift the younger child into his arms. “You’ve gotta be good okay? Cas is coming for dinner and he’s gonna be round a lot now.”

 

“I like Cas.” Sam said, placidly allowing himself to be held by his brother, forgetting about his truck as soon as it was out of his sight.

 

Dean smiled and shifted Sam on his small hip, almost falling over with the action. “I like him too.” He said and meant it, his freckled cheeks heating a little at the admission. He placed Sam back on the ground, knowing from experience that he was better off not carrying Sam down the stairs (for both their sakes).

 

That didn’t stop him from eagerly taking his little brothers hand and almost dragging him out of the destroyed room.

 

“Come on he’ll be here soon!” Dean said, his excitement building up in him so fast he was afraid his heart might pop right out of his chest. Like _Looney_ _Toons_. “Maybe Mom’ll let us watch _Star Wars_!”

 

Sam happily followed. He’d always liked the shiny robots in _Star Wars_.

 

***

 

When Cas arrived for dinner Dean was estatic. He’d jumped on the older man as soon as he was through the door.

 

Dean barely noticed the expressions of his parents- because frankly he didn’t care.

 

Cas was here now and Dean wanted to show him around.

 

After a tour of the house (and a mild scolding for the state of his room) they all sat down for dinner, Dean purposefully and loudly dragged his chair closer beside Cas’ as Mary sat with Sam and with John on the other side.

 

Which for the adults in the room could have possibly been a bad idea, for Dean hardly ate his food. Settling instead to climb all over Castiel as he himself tried to eat, leaning into the older man’s side.

 

Unlike anyone else Castiel seemed to like the attention, or at the least didn’t mind it, which only made John stare at him harder, and Mary feel uneasy.

 

In the eyes of Dean though everything about the evening was going perfectly well so far.

 

Because Cas was Dean’s friend and he liked him very much, liked the feel and the smell of him, and found it very hard to even think about being unhappy when Cas was smiling at him and talking to him.

 

“Hey Cas?” Dean asked keeping his voice low, as though somehow that would make it better that he’d interrupted mom, talking to Cas about something Dean a. Didn’t care about and b. didn’t understand.

 

A smile crossed Cas’ face, crinkling the corners of his eyes as he looked to Dean and leaned in conspicuously.

 

“Yes Dean?”

 

He smiled, and Dean felt it again, in his chest. That funny feeling, every time Castiel smiled at him, or touched him. It was there burning, making him feel as though- as though there was a cat or something inside his chest, purring in delight.

 

“You’ve gotta eat your peas okay?” Dean said, and caught his mothers gaze as she watched the two of them from the other side of the table. She didn’t look mad, so Dean figured she couldn’t hear him tell Cas about the surprise. “Mum made pie for dessert.”

 

“I’ll be sure to.” Cas said with a wink that had Dean feeling warm right up from his toes. He shifted in his seat and for the first time, intently focused on his food.

 

Cas (still smiling to himself) inclined his head to Mary Winchester warmly. “This really is delicious Mrs Winchester.”

 

“Mary please,” Mary smiled, kindness seeming to make her blue eyes  even brighter.

 

Dean was also really glad Cas got on with his mom. He knew, and yet didn’t know why, that it was important that Cas and mom got along, more so than any of Dean’s friends from school.

 

He wasn’t sure how dad felt about Cas yet.

 

But it was impossible _not_ to like him. Cas was the best.

 

“So Castiel, I hear you work in the library,” John said eventually.

 

It was true Cas did work at the library, Dean had spent an entire afternoon convincing Mary to take him there. Dean had come back with skipping steps and eight different books, all of which Cas had helped him picked out.

 

Cas’ voice tugged at Dean’s attention as though it was attached by string. “I’m only part time at the moment, I’m doing some courses on line.”

 

Courses, like classes for school. Cas was going to school just like Dean.

 

“Sammy’s starting school this year,” Dean told him, getting up on his knees so he could sit properly and look at Cas’ face straight on when he talked to him, “he’s gonna be in grade one.”

 

“Is that so?” Cas asked, and then looked to Sam who was munching happily on his own mac and cheese. “Do you like books Sam?”

 

“Yeah.” Sam said softly, not used to being in the older man’s gaze. Dean couldn’t help smiling as he watched the two of them- his two favourite people in the whole world together (he wouldn’t tell mummy and daddy that though, should they get mad). He felt so happy that Sam liked Cas as well. And that Cas liked Sam, though of course (at least Dean hoped) not as much as him.

 

“What’s your favourite book?”

 

Sam looked to Mary as if in an answer, before nodding his head firmly as if this decision was the most serious thing he’d ever had to decide. “Colarwing.”

 

“He likes colouring, but can’t stay in the lines.” Dean explained. “Sammy, get your hand outta your mouth!” he exclaimed leaning across the table so pull the offending limb from his brother’s mouth.

 

Mary caught Dean’s wrist before he could do any damage and fixed him with a firm eye. “Dean don’t do that to Sam, and swallow your food before you talk please.”

 

Cas laughed, something deep and warm as Dean fell back into his seat.

 

John hadn’t moved an inch through the entire exchange. He smelt how he did after working late, Dean realised, or when his team on the telly lost a game. It wasn’t a nice smell, but he was still dad beneath it.

 

“There’s not much money to be made in a library I’m sure.” He said to Cas.

 

Dean watched as the already small smile slipped ever so slightly from Cas’ face. “Money has never been a major concern for me.”

 

“Rich folks huh?” John said.

 

Dean pushed his broccoli across his plant, resenting the fact that Sam had already eaten his vegetables, like the rabbit he was.

 

“I’ve been saving since I was a child,” Cas explained, “and when I was eighteen I made some good investments.”

 

“Really eighteen.” John hummed and for the first time all dinner, looked to Dean with an unreadable expression, “do you know how long until you’re eighteen Dean?”

 

The air in the room changed very quickly, quickly enough for Mary to tense. “John,” she began but Dean, none the wiser, cut her off.

 

“Eight, eight years.” He said and smiled innocently. “I’m ten.”

 

John just stared at Cas for a long, hard moment. Just staring like Cas was something he could break, as though Dean's words were his weapon by which to do it. “How long since _you_ were eighteen Castiel? Five, six years?”

 

“Johnathan,” Mary said and got to her feet, “come help me with the pie in the kitchen.”

 

Dean darted back and forth between his parents, the both of them wearing those expressions he often associated with getting in trouble, but they weren’t looking at him like that. He hadn’t done anything wrong.

 

Beside him, Cas had risen also, and though his scent had turned into something dull and subdued, it still prickled at Dean’s nerves sending small waves of feedback to him.

 

Cas suddenly wasn’t happy either.

 

“Oh I could help Mrs Winchester.” Cas said and made a move to leave the table-

 

“Mary, and no Castiel, that’s fine.” Mary said calmly, but with an underlining force punctuating each word. “I want John to come help me, _now_.”

 

John, now standing as well just stared down at Cas, his dark eyes like shadows. He stood like an opposing force of nature, a natural disaster, but something fiercer than that because Dean had never ever seen his Dad act like this before.

 

“John,” Mary edged carefully with a hand to his arm.

 

It was that touch that seemed to push him over the edge. “I am not having this-this man alone with my son!”

 

“John!” Mary exclaimed aghast.

 

That man, my son.

 

Dean sucked in a breath feeling frozen as he watched.

 

John slammed his fist down on the table making the cutlery jump against the plates and one of the glasses on the table spill.

 

“It’s sick,” John shouted, practically growling the words between his teeth. Everyone flinched as his voice rose, Dean especially as he stared up at his father, watching the man raise an accusing finger toward Castiel, “He’s sick Mare and if you think for one moment I’m gonna let him out of my sight with my boys then you’ve got another fucking thing-”

 

“Mr Winchester,” Castiel said, looking across at the man as he said through his teeth. “I think we would all be more comfortable if we had this discussion in private.”

 

That at least seemed to remind the three adults in the room of their audience.

 

Dean himself wasn’t aware of Sam’s presence until, in the sudden silence, he heard a hiccupped sob.

 

“Sammy,” Dean edged. Instinctively, he slipped down from his own chair and crossed the table to Sam, taking the boy in his arms as he tried to sooth him.

 

Scared Sam shoved his face into Dean’s shirt, spreading snot and drool as he wrapped his arms around his big brother.

 

You could have heard a pin drop for all the noise in the room then.

 

“Dean, honey. Can you take Sam into the other room please,” Mary said, placing a comforting hand on Dean’s shoulder.

 

Dean nodded and fought the urge to take Cas’ hand and bring him with him. “Okay.”

 

Sam was heavy for a five year old, but that didn’t stop Dean from carefully carrying him into the other room, and shutting the door behind him. He was only aware of his own shaking, when Sam placed a hand on his cheek and asked him if he was ‘kay’.

 

Dean, tight lipped, didn’t answer.

 

Enveloped in an all too stillness, he placed Sam down on the couch before crawling over to the coffee table and retrieving one of Sam’s books.

 

“It’s okay Sammy, it’s okay come on.” He said and sat next to the boy, placing Sam’s toys on his lap.

 

It took a while but eventually Sam calmed enough to begin playing, flipping the pages of the book and cooing over the pictures as though forgetting the previous incident entirely. Once Dean was sure that Sam was okay he edged out from beside him and padded back to the other room. With a closed door between him, Mom and Dad and Cas, Dean pressed his ear against the door and tried to listen.

 

***

 

The grown-ups were talking and they were very loud. They said all kinds of things Dean didn’t understand, but other things he did.

 

“How can you just accept this Ma-”

 

“You act as though I asked for this mating Mr Winchester-”

 

“There will be no mating _none_ \- not while Dean’s living under my roof!”

 

At the sound of his own name Dean flinched as though he was whipped.

 

“John, please, you know this is hard for everyone!”

 

“Hard? _Hard?_ you welcome a pedophile into our home-”

 

Dean wasn’t sure how or why but it was the word ‘pedophile’ that did it.

 

Cas’ scent exploded, overwhelming, like having water snorted up his nose Dean recoiled. Cas was oozing a scent of anger, shame, guilt and utter self-loathing, though Dean couldn’t identify all that. All he smelt, all he felt was pain and fear and sadness so strong it rocked his whole body back on it’s heels.

 

Cas was hurting, he was scared and he was hurt and he was so so _afraid_.

 

Without thinking Dean burst through the kitchen door, almost seeing red, desperate to get the pain to stop, to get his Dad to stop hurting Cas.

 

It was like flames had engulfed him from the inside out. Dean felt it pass over his skin like fury as he tore into the room, with surprising strength for his age and size, threw himself between Castiel and John, shoving his father away from his friend.

 

“STOP IT! DADDY!”

 

Dean hadn’t called john _Daddy_ since he was Sam’s age.

 

Like a lightning strike the room and John Winchester collapsed into stunned silence at the sight of his son standing before him very much like a defensive Alpha, teeth bared. When Dean pushed him John stumbled back so caught off guard that his balance was thrown off.

 

“Don’t yell at him.” Dean said staring his father down, standing firm.

 

Then Dean realised he’d just shoved his father.

 

It was too late to take the action back now, but a part of Dean realised quietly that he didn’t even _want_ to. His sudden adrenaline was already leaving him like water sucked down a drain, but his defensive instinct toward _his_ _Cas_ was only growing by the second.

 

There was a moment where John’s expression was nothing but shock, before it crumpled into something painful to look at.

 

The sound of Sam’s sudden wailing at the commotion and Dean’s frantic retreat seemed to kick start everyone back into action.

 

“Sam-” Mary said and fled the room, seeking to comfort her boy.

 

Cas’ hand on Dean’s shoulder was like a knife cutting the final thread that was keeping him hanging suspended.

 

Instantly Dean turned back into the touch and shoved his face against Cas’ chest, inhaling deeply Cas’ scent which was already petering out to normal.

 

“Dean, it’s okay,” Cas hushed him, soothing a hand through Dean’s hair as he held him, “we were just talking.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Dean said, his words pressed against Castiel’s stomach, sounded wet even as he wiped his face against Castiel’s shirt. “I don’t- I don’t like Dad being m-mean to you.”

 

“I’ve heard enough.”  John growled.

 

Dean tensed right up as he heard, but didn’t see John stalk away and the eerie silence that followed the slam of the front door as he closed it behind him.

 

“John,” Mary called from the other room, following him out, Sam on her hip, “John?”

 

“You okay Cas?” Dean asked wetly as he peeled his face from Cas’ stomach and looked up.

 

Castiel, with all the grace and agility Dean’s tight grip allowed him, swept down onto one knee before pulling Dean into a backbreaking hug. Dean sunk into the embrace, clutching Cas close

 

“I’m fine Dean I promise.” Cas murmured, and after a moment, loosened his hold. “Perhaps I should go,”

 

“Don’t.” Dean said and squeezed him tight. Frantically he tried to think of a way to make Cas stay, to make Cas stay with him.

 

“Don’t leave Castiel,” Mary suddenly said coming back into the room. “Not because of him, John will-” she stopped and looked back over her shoulder, her cheek brushing Sam’s hair as the young boy rested there. “John will just need some time.”

 

At the sound of Mary’s voice Cas tensed and his scent sharpened, only for a moment before he released his arms from around Dean and simply knelt beside him, putting distance between them.

 

Dean didn’t like it and kept in close, pressing himself against Cas’ side, his cheek against Cas’ shoulder.

 

“Do you want some pie Cas?” he asked, his voice smaller than he would have liked. “Pie always makes me better.”

 

Castiel’s expression softened enough to make Dean’s heart give a kick. “I shouldn’t-”

 

“Castiel, I’m not letting you leave this house until you’ve sat down and had a nice evening with me and my sons, now come on.”

 

Dean hid a wobbly smile into Cas’ shoulder at his mom’s serious tone.

 

“Canweeatinthelounge?” he asked.

 

“Pardon?” Mary asked, looking down at him.

 

“Can we eat in the lounge?” Dean said, lifting his head up.  “I wanna show Cas Star Wars.”

 

Dean definitely knew that something more than what he’d stopped was going on for Mary nodded once and smiled at him softly. She _never_ let them eat in the lounge room. “Course Honey, you two get it set up while I put Sammy to bed.”

 

Dean nodded but made no move to leave Cas’ side. It was warm and safe here against him, especially when one of Castiel’s arms wrapped it’s way around his shoulder and tugged him close in for another hug. Pressed against Cas’ chest, Dean could hear the older man’s steady heartbeat thump against his ears.

 

Dean breathed in the smell of him and let his eyes drift closed. 

 

***

 

It was in the ending credits of a new hope that the front door to the Winchester’s house creaked open. Mary and Castiel, both the only ones awake, Dean asleep between them, seemed startled by the realization that John Winchester was returning.

 

Castiel made a mark to move, leave before another wave of aggression and disgust was forced his way by the older Alpha but all too soon, John was standing in the doorway, staring at Castiel and at his son who was lying in Castiel’s lap.

 

Mary immediately winced.

 

Shame pungent enough to make Dean shift in his sleep uncomfortable, filled Castiel up from his toes. “Mr Winchester-”

 

“Castiel,” John said, voice whiskey roughened from years of abuse. “You old enough for a beer boy?”

 

He knew very much so that Castiel was.

 

“I don’t drink often.” Castiel offered, catching Mary’s eye with a panicked look of his own.

 

He was more panicked when he found Mary smiling.

 

“Hmmm,” John said and lift the room as quickly as he came, only to return with two bottles, one he gave to Mary which, admittedly surprised Castiel, the other he saved for himself as he sat down in the armchair opposite and fixed Castiel with an unnerving gaze.

 

Castiel, despite cradling Dean’s small head on his lap (the child was still asleep but a small line of drool was leaking down his cheek and on Castiel's thigh), suddenly felt very small before the alpha.

 

John took a deep breath, along pull of his beer before he said. “Listen, Castiel,” another mouthful, a loud sounding swallow, “I don’t know who you think you are, but Dean is my son, and I won’t have any harm done to him.”

 

“I’d never harm Dean. Never.” Castiel replied lamely, glancing back to Mary as well, who seemed content to sit and watch. “I’d hurt myself before anything could happen to him.”

 

John’s expression did not change one iota. Instead, another drink, mimicked by Mary, before he set his drink down and eased back in his chair, as though settling in for the long hall.

 

Castiel felt his heart beating in his chest with all the fragility of a hummingbirds wings. He was sure the Alpha and other Omega could smell his stress, tainting the air around him.

 

In his lap, Dean shifted and made a soft sound, curling his fist into Castiel’s shirt.

 

“You know Mary and I were Highschool sweethearts?” John said eventually, when Castiel looked up he realised the older man’s gaze was on the boy on his lap, his expression once again unreadable.

 

“No?” Castiel ventured carefully.

 

Mary offered him a small, encouraging grin.

 

“Met when we were sixteen,” John said, looking at Mary now. If Castiel focused through his own haze of scent and Dean’s he was just able to pick up on the hints of John’s scent. Boot leather and gun polish, mixed with a warm nutty scent that Castiel suspected, if the Alpha was pleased would bleed through his scent richly.

 

“Instant you know, we were mates just like that,” John clicked his fingers, “wasn’t any rhyme or reason but I knew she was the girl for me.”

 

Mary’s scent, sweet like honeysuckle, pricked at Castiel’s nose. She was practically beaming with love.

 

“I understand that there is- is things, instinctual outside of your control.” John ventured carefully.

 

Castiel watched as Mary glanced between them, nervousness appearing on her face again. But

 

Castiel took a breath and smiled as reassuring as he could given his nerves. “Mr Winchester, I know you don’t like or trust me-”

 

“I-“ John said, as though he was about to blank face lie. Both Castiel and Mary shot him incredulous looks. “No I don’t.” he said instead.

 

Castiel nodded respecting the man’s honesty, but getting right to the point himself.

 

“And I don’t care,” That at least seemed to get some part of John’s face to react, his lips parting in surprise. “At least, I don’t care enough not to- stop caring for Dean way the way I do, which is not, I assure you, in any way indecent.”

 

Castiel hesitated before pushing on, threading his fingers in Dean’s hair, rubbing the young boy’s scalp for some form of comfort. “You have a wonderful son, who is going to grow up into an amazing man, and I don’t-” he stopped touching Dean when he noticed John watching him like a hawk. But still he was undeterred. “I don’t know if this will help but, I don’t have any sort of attraction to Dean, affection yes but no more than you would have for a niece, or a nephew.”

 

“I care about Dean Mr Winchester- John.” Castiel went on with Mary’s encouraging nod, “Castiel’s I want nothing more than for him to be happy and healthy and safe. And I don’t feel as though that’s a bad thing.”

 

“I don’t want you touching him, or even so much as looking at him in that way. And I don’t want you watching over him unsupervised.”

 

Castiel nodded. “That is understandable, is long as you understand that I would more readily harm myself, then I ever would do something to upset or harm Dean.”

 

“Understood.” John said and brought his bottle to his lips, blocking off a potential smile.

 

“And if either of you yell or act like that in front of my boys again,” Mary warned, her voice deathly calm, “I’ll whip you both understood?”

 

“Understood.” Castiel said straight away.

 

“Yes dear,” John said affectionately, which caught Castiel off guard more than anything that had happened this evening.

 

“Do you-” John cast Castiel a look, the closest thing toward friendly that Castiel had ever seen on the man’s face.  He gestured to Dean with one hand, the one not holding the beer. “Do you want to help me put him to bed? Years of carrying the kids as put my back out.”

 

It was an expression of trust, a small one. And olive branch or as much of one John was willing to offer, at least for the time being.

 

“I would,” Castiel said, taking a breath. “Thank you.”

 

Mary Winchester smiled watching as the three of them climbed the stairs; her husband, her son and her son’s mate, holding the small boy in his arms.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean (29) and Cas (42)
> 
> Dean goes into an unplanned rut, it causes more stress for the new parents than usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for:
> 
> -Highly nsfw, bottom Cas, rimming, dom/sub undertones  
> -Mentions of menopause

When Dean woke he was so hot he felt as though the sun was about to burst out of his skin. With a groan he made a move to roll onto his stomach but was all too painfully aware of a sudden throbbing between his legs.

 

Muffling a displeased groan into his pillow Dean palmed his erection distractedly, blindly reaching out with his other hand-

 

At the feel of his phone Dean brought it forth and muffled a moan into his arm as he dialled his own landline.

 

Downstairs he head the phone ring once- twice…

 

Cas’ voice, when he answered, had Dean pressing more insistently on his cock through his thin boxers. His fingers slipped along the wet patch on the front, wringing a grunt from him.

 

“Dean?” Cas asked, his voice a gravelly bullet of lust not making it any better for Dean to concentrate, “why are you calling the house phone?”

 

_Cas. Cas. Rut. Mate. Breed_

 

“Rut’s hit.” Dean managed. He could feel a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. He rolled onto his back, panting into the morning air. The scent of the room was worse, Cas’ scent lingering only further driving Dean’s Alpha desire to take and mate and claim. A raw saturating need that was slowly taking over.

 

Dean could almost hear Cas’ frown down the line. “I thought you said we had another few weeks.”

 

Dean’s Alpha growled in challenge at the tone from his Omega. In a way that was both challenging and arousing. Dean had always liked the dominant side that could come out in his mate, it was a special kind of perversion he liked. Dean liked having to wrestle with Cas for his dominance sometimes, or giving it up completely but not when he was rutting. His Alpha too close to the surface for such insubordination.

 

“I’m not the one who’s menopause fucked my rut cycle in the ass alright?” he snapped.

 

Even in his rut clotted state, Dean knew that was a shitty thing to bring up.

 

“Sorry.” He managed, gritting his teeth. It took some effort to work his boxers off with one hand, but once he got the fabric past his knees he kicked them off using his feet, his skin felt a bit cooler. The blanket fell to the floor, it didn’t matter, Dean was too hot anyway.

 

Objectively he looked down at himself, his cock flushed and red was arching up toward his stomach. With a groan Dean took himself in hand, and started to work himself in a building pace. “Cas is Danny-”

 

“I’m taking him to Sam’s now Dean, don’t worry,” Cas’ voice softened down the line, in the haze of Dean’s lust making something catch in his throat. “I’ll explain to him. And tell him he’ll see Daddy and Dad-Dee soon.”

 

“Love him,” Dean puffed out, then writhed back onto his side, crooning into the phone. “Love you, mate, Cas, mate- c’mere.”

 

He choked off on a whine and began stroking himself in earnest.

 

“I’ll be back soon. Be good Alpha.”

 

Dean groaned into the receiver and threw the phone aside. Smashing his face into Cas’ pillow, Dean gripped himself with both hand and start jerk his cock furiously.

 

 

***

 

Between the time where Cas hanged up, taking Danny over to Sam’s for the weekend, and the time Cas began stripping off his clothes and crawling on the bed over to Dean it felt like a lifetime.

 

“I’ve been gone thirty minutes Dean,” Cas laughed, which melded into a low hum as Dean met him half way across the mattress and pulled him into a heated kiss.

 

“Smell s’good…” he growled, shoving his face back into the juncture of Castiel’s neck and shoulder, licking over his mating mark there. So small now, compared to how large a bite Dean would be able to produce now, almost twenty years on. “Better than anyone else.”

 

Dean ran his hand over as much of Cas’ naked toned skin he could reach. He clasped at Cas’ hips, kneading his biceps and ass. The way Cas’ skin felt, alive and warm and electric under Dean’s hands, had every part of him tingling with the shock. Castiel was a real man. His muscles weren’t as defined as they had been but he still ran every morning. His stomach was a little soft in the middle, his shoulders wide. He was healthy, strong, manly, and it was intoxicating to Dean. He kissed as much of his omega as he could, licking and nipping at his neck, and Cas let him, but was somewhat distracted.

 

“I apologise,” he muttered as Dean moved against him, “I snapped before Dean it’s just it’s-”

 

“Hard?” Dean murmured, rutting his erection over Castiel’s ass, having his cock slide between the omega’s crack, drawing slick out of him.

 

“Leaving Daniel,” Cas breathed and relaxed back into Dean, relishing in the younger man’s touches. “I’m here now Alpha-“ he said, voice low as his own arousal grew. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Mine,” Dean hummed, he stuttered a moan as the head of his cock pressed against Castiel’s cheeks, parting them over his pre come slicked head. “D-Danny with Sam?”

 

“Yes, Dean he’s fine. Better actually, he’s very excited.”

 

“Good.” Dean said, licking at Castiel’s back, his beautiful, naked, perfect back. “Mate, Cas-”

 

Cas wriggled away out of Dean’s hold, past him toward the head of the bed. Dean growled a little in his throat but let him move, he was not so taken with his rut yet that he was fully beyond control. Cas sat up on his heels and looked over at Dean from his shoulder.

 

“Are you going to do your job Alpha?” he asked, a teasing lit to his words.

 

Dean loved it when Cas teased him. Nothing pushed his button’s faster when he was in a rut.

 

“Yeah,” Dean breathed, his gaze darkening into pin point precision- with only Cas in his sights.

 

“Breed me up?” Cas hummed and then very deliberately, bent over, angling his hips in presentation.

 

Dean was on him in an instant, hands curling over Cas’ ass, pulling him apart and wider as Cas moaned. Dean coated his fingers in his mates dribbling slick, leaning over to nip at Cas’ neck and shoulders, coaxing more slick to soak Cas’ hole.

 

“Fuck Cas,” with a gruff voice Dean dragged his open mouth over Cas’ neck, just as he slipped his fingers inside.

 

“Dean, oh.” Can made a sound, more of a sigh than anything. As Dean dragged his fingers up to his mouth and sucked at the sweet nectar of Cas’ slick. It was like ambrosia, the taste of him, enough so that Dean slipped his fingers back in with minimal resistance.

 

God, it may take a little longer now but Cas was so wet and open for him.

 

"You taste so…" Dean groaned and sucked furiously at his fingers.

 

"Yes?" Castiel asked, voice rough. "How do I taste?"

 

"Perfect," Dean smiled. He sat back on his heels and drew Cas back onto his lap, front to back, his cock slipped between Cas’ cheeks.

 

“I want, I want- you ready Cas cos I-I _want_ -”

 

Dean choked on his own words and released a whine. His heart felt as though it was pounding hard enough to kill him.

 

“Fuck me- _Alpha_.”

 

That was all the permission Dean needed.

 

He dragged his tongue up Cas’ spine, pushing his weight on Cas as he wrapped arms around his waist. Castiel followed Dean’s body with practised ease, knowing it better to go along with the Alpha’s desires when he was like this.

 

Dean paused with his teeth over the back of Cas’ neck momentarily, he sunk a hand down between them and just made sure that Cas was slick enough for entry.

 

If Cas’ impatient buck into Dean’s venturing fingers was any indication, Dean had to say that his mate certainly was eager.

 

“On your back,” he ordered, letting Cas go. Some part of him- very quiet, but very important, reminded him that Cas was having back pain recently, and it wouldn’t do well to knot the man while he was on his hands and knees.

 

Dean didn’t want to knot his mate in a way that would make him uncomfortable.

 

Cas’ cheeks were flushed a gorgeous pink as he obeyed, turning onto his back as he laid down, legs spread for his alpha.

 

Dean gave his mate a few, thank you strokes of his cock. Cas looked beautiful spread out before him, it made Dean want to pet him or lick him. He reached for Cas with renewed purpose, moving between the omega’s legs.

 

It was amazing how Cas could do this, switching so seamlessly between put together, tender domesticity and wanton sexuality. Being able to please Cas was a challenge, a pleasure- especially in the omega’s older age. But it was a task Dean threw himself into happily.

 

Cas’ scent, his peaches and cream smell, the splice of pine throughout was like whiskey, warming Dean’s palate and loosening his inhibitions. It felt almost surreal to be laying over Cas now, hiking Cas’ thigh further up his hip as he aligned himself just right.

 

Cas was plenty slick as Dean sunk into him, with one rough, back arching thrust.

 

Castiel’s jaw dropped over in a wrecked filthy moan. He arched underneath him, fingers scrabbling against Dean’s shoulders as he tried to gain purchase.

 

The heat of Cas, the tightness- it was all so much more than Dean could imagine alone. Even after all this time.

 

Dean clamped his hands around Cas’ leg, one high up on his hip, the other bracing himself against the bedhead as he pushed hard into Cas, moving them up the bed with every inward thrust.

 

"Fuck," Castiel swore when Dean hit home on his prostate.

 

"Mine," Dean panted or maybe snarled, he was unsure sweat clouding his vision.

 

Cas’ laugh was shattered by a moan, followed by breathy sounds of pleasure that ripped their way out of his throat as Dean’s thrusts grew more desperate.

 

Dean bent over and nipped at Cas’ lips, fucking into him with faster wilder strokes. He threw his head back with complete abandon, the bed squeaking in tune with his rhythm. The slap of skin against skin, creaking wood and gasping moans were loud in the otherwise silent house.

 

Dean’s knot was swelling to an uncomfortable size, he was beyond slowing down though, his thrusts grew shallower in his biology’s wake. Castiel arched up into Dean, tugging on Dean’s knot in such an intense way that Dean wasn’t quite sure he had the strength to breathe.

 

It was Castiel who came first, with Dean noticing he’d stripped his cock with his own hand, timing his pace to match Dean. Dean saw before he felt his mate’s climax, watched through a red film as Castiel threw his head to the side and let out a cry.

 

Dean’s alpha purred in triumph, now it was his turn.

 

Cas’ orgasm changed the motion of Dean’s hips, pulling him into a dirty, tight grind. Dean’s knot rolled inside of Cas so much that it made the Alpha dizzy, gasping. His consciousness was narrowed down to purely Cas- only Cas.

 

Dean came with a warbled howl as he ground into his mate, shooting deep. Even then Cas’ muscles managed to rip several more orgasms from him, every shift from the sated omega  was enough to set Dean off again, milking him to completion.

 

Eventually Dean’s instincts eased. He lay boneless beside Castiel, face to face one arm curled around him possessively. Castiel lay limp, happy, pressing kisses into Dean’s skin and jaw. He was still a tight pressure around Dean’s knot but he made an effort not to move.

 

Dean smiled and kissed his mate’s neck, nuzzling the skin there with his nose.

 

Of course until he remembered.

 

“I thought we’d have time.” Dean said, his worry and concern returning in a low tide of his rut. He wouldn’t be clear headed for long, and found it suddenly insanely important to discuss their six year old son while tied to his mate.

 

Cas’ cheeks were still flushed from their tryst, he eased back a bit to see Dean fully. Blue eyes, Dean’s hadn’t noticed till now, were darker with concern. “Mmm?”

 

“We just got him home.” Dean said. He hated how broken the words felt, leaving his mouth the way they did. “We just got him home after years of trying and only a few months of him actually _being_ here.”

 

Cas tensed, and properly lifted his gaze so he could to catch his mates eye.

 

“Daniel will be fine, Dean, your brother has two kids of his own remember-”

 

Dean sighed, something heavy and shook his head. “Yeah but Danny’s-”

 

“Deaf Dean not invalid.” Cas said with an edge of hardness, that quickly faded when he caught on to Dean’s very real distress. “He will be fine beloved.” Tied as they were, Cas had to work a bit to bring Dean forward to bring him into a sweet kiss.  “This was going to happen eventually, and you know Hannah said not to coddle him. I will be pestering Sam between waves, and we’re only a phone call away.” Cas cast him a reassuring smile, more in his eyes than his mouth. “Let’s just focus on you for the next few days.”

 

Dean swallowed around the pressure behind his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

 

Rut’s didn’t have the same appeal as they did have, before they’d adopted Daniel.

 

 

***

 

It was Cas who had seen Daniel first, well his folder actually. A picture of a young four year old boy with blue, clear blue eyes and sandy brown hair. He’s picked Daniel from a batch of twenty, and straight away Cas had met the eye of their social worker Hannah and said, even before mentioning it to Dean-

 

“I want to meet him.”

 

“Who?” Dean had asked peering over his mates shoulder only to see the most precious boy who’d ever walked the earth. He was older than their specified candidates (both Dean and Cas agreeing- like most couples- that they wanted a child a young as they could get, an infant preferably), and though secretly Dean had set his sights on having a little girl. There was something in Daniel’s face that tugged at Dean’s heartstring that he didn’t even question it when the boy’s file crossed his path.

 

If asked later Dean would describe it as his heart stopping. Love at first sight.

 

Hannah had levelled them both with a steady gaze.

 

“Daniel Chris, aged four has been in the system for two years.” she paused and raised one brow, before looking Castiel dead in the eye and handing him back the file. “He’s legally deaf.”

 

She was not the type of woman to beat around the bush. All no-nonsense sensible that reminded Dean of Cas in his younger years.

 

Dean hated to admit it later on but his heart broke at hearing those words.

 

“Deaf?” he asked, setting aside his own folders in his hands. “You mean like he can’t hear?”

 

“That’s generally what the word means,” Castiel said, looking over Daniel’s file with new consideration.

 

“But you mean like at all?”

 

Castiel looked to Hannah for an answer.

 

“Daniel had had a hearing impairment since birth, which expanded to complete hearing loss when he aged eighteen months old. Doctors attribute it to a genetic predisposition coupled with his premature birth.”

 

“What is the likelihood of a deaf child being adopted out of the system?” Cas asked, attention on the social worker before them.

 

“Unlikely,” Hannah said, then ventured carefully, “It will only get harder as he gets older, I know you were after a younger child-”

 

“So you slipped his folder in here on purpose?” Castiel asked, neither an approving nor disapproving inflection to his words. They had been trying to adopt a baby for three years now with no success (apparently it wasn’t only near impossible for male Omega’s to have children but to adopt them too), if Hannah felt that they had a chance with adopting this boy-

 

“I think with your patience and Dean’s compassion the two of you would make a good fit for this child.” Hannah said slowly. She smoothed out the edge of her skirt and crossed her legs. Her perfume, masking her beta scent made Dean’s nose tingle.

 

“He’s a good child Castiel, special, and he’ll need a good home, someone willing-” she left the comment hanging as though afraid to finish it.

 

Unthinking Dean reached across and took Cas’ hand in his own, giving his omega a reassuring squeeze.

 

“We’d, uh- we’d like to meet him.” He said, and Cas squeezed his hand in agreement, pine scent ripening in the air.

 

“I’ll arrange a meeting then.” Hannah said. Dean figured if he had been looking at her instead of Cas at the time, he’d have seen the woman smile.

 

 

***

 

Dean felt like a horrible father, but with his tongue shoved in Cas’ ass it was hard to remember it.

 

Having fucked rough and fast through the first thirty two hours Cas was starting to feel a little tender. Dean himself was stuck in a rut, in every sense of the word. Capable of doing little else than sleep and fuck, Dean was lost in a haze of scent and mating that he couldn’t see the end of.

 

He could see the end of Cas, which was something that pleased him greatly, and made abstaining from burying his knot inside the omega possible for the moment.

 

His omega was on his hands and knees in the centre of the bed, completely at mercy to Dean who spread Cas’ ass with both hands in able to plunge his tongue into his omega’s pink rimmed hole. Offering him respite from the constant fucking, in the only way his Alpha would approve of.

 

"Dean!" Cas gasped out, thighs spreading further of their own volition. "Oh, fuck, D-Deeaan-"

 

Dean lapped at Cas’ hole as though he was dying of thirst. He licked around the omega’s hole, into it, coaxing the tight muscles to slowly loosen with every flick of his tongue. He slurped greedily at every new trickle of slick that escaped, savouring the tangy ooze on his tongue. Cas moaned when Dean hit a particularly sensitive bit of skin, and outright keened, toes curling when Dean started to fuck his tongue into his body. His own cock was thick and heavy, fully engorged, hanging between his legs, and it took everything in him not to just lean up and fuck forward. Dean growled between Cas’ cheeks, it took every ounce of self-control for him not to just fuck Cas and actually well- _fuck_ _him_.

 

Dean was a good Alpha, would be a good Alpha, rut or no rut he still had that.

 

Dean’s lifted his face from Cas’ ass, most of it shiny and slick, and rubbed at Cas’ hip, leaning over him. “Taste so good.”

 

“Do you love it Dean?” Cas managed, looking at him over his shoulder. “Do you want to fuck me Alpha?”

 

 _Alpha_. Dean purred, and licked slick off of his lips.

 

Cas chuckled. “You are such a good Alpha Dean, caring for me, fucking me. Do you want to breed me up my love? Fuck me and make me yours?”

 

Did Cas really need an answer to that?

 

Without words, Dean pinned Cas to the bed bearing over him. His hands were pressed possessively against Cas’ shoulders, Dean leant down front flush against Cas’ back and practically drowned in his omega’s scent.

 

“Bossy,” Cas laughed, as Dean kissed his jaw in a surprisingly tender way, exhaling shakily over his cheek.

 

“W-Want you…” Dean rocked forward, his cock sliding through Cas’ slick. A whine like moan escaped his throat. His fingers snaked into Cas’ sweat damp hair, pulling and forcing the man to bare his neck for Dean to sniff and taste. “Mine, Cas- mate…”

 

Cas’ chest rumbled beneath Dean’s. With silent admission, and the thickening of the omega’s scent in the air Dean got his answer.

 

Panting Dean’s hands sunk down to grip onto Cas’ hips possessively. He arched up above him, and slowly began to work his cock between the Omega’s thighs.

 

“You make me feel so good Dean- ah,”

 

The comment made Dean moan, his omega’s praise hooked him in, like the first hit of a powerful drug.

 

“So perfect, my mate, you’re everything an omega could want.”

 

Dean’s skin flushed with heat, and arousal pumps through his veins like blood, with one hard thrust he sheathed himself inside, and Cas, beneath him, let out the most beautiful, gut punched exhale.

 

“Dean,  _oh my god._ ”

 

Castiel’s voice showed how completely and utterly wrecked he was, breaking apart his control. Dean rumbled in approval which only caused Cas to jerk in response to the sound.

 

Dean was so close, too close when Cas started working himself back on the Alpha’s cock with abandon. Dean snarled, losing control of his hips as he thrust between Cas’ legs, in and out in and out, Cas’ tight rim squeezed the head of his cock, milking precome from the tip before Dean’s knot was so large he couldn’t withdraw completely.  

 

His fingers dug into Cas’ hips as he held the Omega in place as he ground up against his ass. His knot caught, grew and tied them together as in a rush Dean released his load. The orgasm had him crumpling forward, moaning in satisfaction as Cas’ took the brunt of his weight.

 

The next time Dean was aware of anything Cas had laid them on their sides, still knotted together, with Dean pulled around him, spooning from behind.

 

“Sorry,” Dean apologised, rubbing his hand down and across Cas’ lower back, knowing the quick and rough mating would probably have Cas aching for a few days.

 

Cas, instead of complaining just brought Dean’s hand from around his waist up to his mouth to kiss. “Sleep alpha.” He said, words pressed against Dean’s finger tips. “I’ll be here when you wake.”

 

Dean, wrung out, succumbed to exhaustion quickly.

 

_***_

 

It took one visit with Daniel, supervised at the children’s home for both Dean and Castiel to decide they’d adopt the quiet, funnily rambunctious boy.

 

Really Dean should have known before then that they were one day going to take the boy home. Cas had already devoted himself to the task of learning ASL. By the time they met Daniel for the first time Cas knew most of the Alphabet and a few common gestures, all of which Daniel knew with a fluency that surprised the both of them. As weeks and months passed Dean grew to learn the basics, ogling Castiel as the other man learnt the basic structure and various signs of ASL.

 

Cas had lovely hands Dean could admit, they were graceful in their signing, if at first a bit clumsy. But Castiel was determined, he aimed to achieve full fluency as quickly as possible. He learnt from Daniel sometimes, Dean would watch the two of them seated on the floor, Daniel showing Cas various signs, pointing to his own learning cards for their meaning, before he’d position Cas’ fingers and hands to mimic the pose when Cas failed.

 

Dean was almost most comfortable then, watching his mate and Daniel playing and learning together.

 

After two years they were finally allowed to bring Daniel home, Castiel was quick and precise in signage, and Dean suspected only one more year or two before the man was as fluent in the language as he was in English.

 

Dean still struggled for the most part, more adept at signing what he knew than reading from Cas and Daniel. The first time Daniel reached out and corrected Dean’s finger placement he almost cried, both at the boy’s easy touch and in despair that he just wasn’t getting it right.

 

Daniel, patient like his father, had simply hugged Dean before raising his palm against Dean’s and touching their fingertips together, a gesture the three of them had come to associate with so many things ‘I love you’, ‘I care for you’ ‘it’s okay’ ‘I’m sorry’.

 

It was their own separate language that breached the gaps between them.

 

Gaps that with practise and care were lessening each and every day.

 

Two years after spotting his file, Daniel Winchester was brought home by two very proud, very nervous parents.

 

 

***

 

Cas was very good at keeping Dean alive during his ruts. It had always been a little bit harder before. When Cas had still had heats and the two of them would get lost in their instincts in a haze of marathon sex that afterward they were always surprised hadn’t killed them.

 

Now with Cas no longer getting heats, even while Dean was rutting, it gave Dean a way of staying fed and nourished and not covered in day old crusty come. Cas was always nearby, with a water bottle or a protein shake, some food or just a back rub (which, even outside of his rut usually got Dean’s motor going anyway). He was on high alert to his mate’s needs, washing this and that there, making sure Dean got some sleep here. Even taking care of the Alpha’s urges and knot while he slept sometimes just to try and ease the burden.

 

In a way Dean wouldn’t admit to before it was almost _better_ that Cas wasn’t in heat when Dean was rutting. The sex was just as good, less frantic and sloppy but enjoyable and memorable, Dean could actually have some breaks and get some sleep, whereas when Cas was in heat he was almost always for three days in a constant state or fucking or being fucked- the whole time turning into a big blur.

 

The only problem with the onset of Cas’ menopause was that Dean’s own ruts had become random, unpredictable. Hitting harder for shorter periods of time sometimes and others not even hitting at all.

 

Which of course made it hard to plan everyday life around.

 

“Eat this for me?” Dean opened his mouth weakly as Cas spread some of his slick across the base of his knot and began massaging the ball with his hand. Though Dean’s Alpha went insane, his body was exhausted, becoming weary in the last leg of the biological race that was Dean’s sex drive.

 

It felt good though- it always felt good to have Cas touching him, especially feeding him with his other free hand, that may or may not have had a little bit of unwashed slick still left on it, but really who was Dean to complain.

 

He bit his bottom lip as he suppressed a moan. Before opening his mouth to pant out his pleasure, as well as ask for more.

 

This time Cas gave him a few gulps of water, and it almost felt as good as the hand on his knot.

 

Cas scent was everywhere mingled with Dean’s like a fog In the musky room. Dean for one (probably the only one) thought it wonderful, their mixed scents the pure eroticism.

 

It was hard to think coherently with Alpha hormones pumping through his body.

 

He closed his eyes and as he ate some more remembered snapshots of the last few days. Castiel writhing in pleasure beneath him, riding him, sucking him, leaking his slick all over Dean’s skin.

 

Dean smiled to himself remembering, as Cas skilled fingers eased his knot, stroking his cock. Cas leant forward and rang his tongue up the length of Dean’s neck as his hand slipped lower than Dean’s knot and began to tug and play with his balls. Dean slid one hand up Cas’ leg, needing something to hold on to as he planned to fuck up into Castiel’s loose fist the next time his hand was on him.

 

It was time to eat some more sandwich again. Drink some more water. After a few repeats Castiel pressed forward and captured Dean’s lips in his own, bringing one hand up to cup the Alpha’s face.

 

Dean thrust up into the offering of Castiel’s tight fist, as fast as he could given his fatigue. Cas to his credit, nibbled on Dean’s neck, and used his own slick to lubricate his fist, driving Dean faster and harder toward completion.

 

Dean didn’t last much longer than that. With a gasp and shaking muscles, he climaxed into Castiel’s waiting fist.

 

Unconscious a short time later, Dean’s mind was filled with intermingling scents and a lazy morning. Cas’ lips against his forehead and Danny sitting in his lap, laughing.

 

When Dean woke up in his next wave of rut it hit him so hard that he couldn’t do anything but jerk Cas into some position vaguely accessible. There were no words, just mumbled groans and soft hitching breathy sounds, right up until Dean knotted again and curled up tight, protectively cuddled to his omega.

 

 

***

 

On the fourth day of Dean’s rut there was nothing but a burning ache in his muscles and the echo of sexual fulfilment in his veins- that left him both ragged and worn.

 

But finally Dean was blissfully free.

 

“Hey Baby,” Dean rumbled. His own arm coiled around Cas’ middle, as he pulled himself up against the naked omega male and burrowed his nose into his dark hair. Often time Cas swore it was getting greyer, but Dean (on many occasions) just held the other man close and told him he loved his grey hairs, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes.

 

Cas often and vehemently called bullshit but Dean’s word’s did count for something even if he didn’t believe that they were true.

 

“Hello Dean,” Cas murmured, he rested his shoulder down, exposing his neck. Gladly Dean pushed soft kisses along the exposed skin and onto his shoulder, kissing and nipping his bite near there. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Good, exhausted, dirty.” Dean moved his hands from Cas’ hips so they could wrap snugly around his middle.

 

“-need a shower?” Cas asked and Dean, loosing himself in the slight pudge at Cas’ sides, made a noncommittal noise.

 

“Cas?”

 

“Yes?”

 

Dean licked his lips and gave his man a small squeeze. “Can you get Sam to bring Danny home?”

 

With his rut over, Danny could come home. Dean had missed the little guy so much he could hardly stand it now that his full faculties and awareness was back to him.

 

Cas left out a soft exhale, as if he too was suddenly eased by the thought of having Daniel back home with them. He rolled to face Dean, still in the Alpha’s arms, in thanks, or just because he could, he kissed him slow and lingering. Making Dean part his lips and grant the omega entrance. 

 

“Sleep some more Dean, you’re still a bit heated.” Cas said when he drew back, lips kiss swollen and red. “When you wake have a shower, or a bath.” He kissed Dean’s cheek in parting, and carded his fingers through Dean’s hair. “I’ll take care of everything else.”

 

 

***

 

 

Freshly washed and dressed, with a load of washing on and a mug of coffee Dean was starting to feel like something resembling normal by the time he heard the Impala pull up in the driveway and the sound of the front door opening.

 

Though Daniel was too young to have a scent, Dean was sure he’d still be able to pick out his boy blindfolded in a crowded room.

 

“Dad-Dee!” The little boy yelled, running into Dean’s legs.

 

Dean stumbled back when he was hit with the force of Daniel smashing into him, enveloping him in a hug. He was still a bit shaky with fatigue, but it wasn’t anything a night of uninterrupted sleep wouldn’t fix.

 

Daniel at six came up to Dean’s hip, he had big blue cow eyes and a mop of dirty brown hair, that had darkened a bit as he’d gotten older.

 

Once released Dean crouched down to Daniel level and stroked a hand over his soft hair.

 

 _Hey little man,_ he signed a little clumsily.

 

 _Are you feeling better?_ Daniel asked, eyes wide with innocent worry. _Daddy said you were sick._

 

Glad Cs had decided that six was a bit too young to have 'the talk' Dean nodded and hugged his son reassuringly. _All better._ _You have fun with uncle Sam and the girls._

 

Daniel’s mouth split into a wide smile, his cherub cheeks reddening. He started to sign so quickly his hands were a blur, enough that Dean could barely read their meaning. _-tickled me._ Dean managed to understand, feeling his own smile grow at his son’s excitement, _and we went to the beach. I found a shell._

 

Daniel dug the offending item from his pocket. It was a simple white shell with a smooth purple underside.

 

Smiling so much his face ached Dean accepted the offered shell and looked at it in appraisal.

 

 _Pretty_. He signed and reached up running a tentative hand thought Daniel’s fair hair. Daniel looked between Dean and the shell not attempting to hide his beaming smile as he puffed out his chest proudly.

 

 _Definitely Alpha._ Dean thought. He looked up past Daniel’s shoulder to see Cas coming towards them, two grocery bags slung over his shoulders.

 

 _Are you hungry Daniel?_ Cas signed in eyesight of the boy.

 

Daniel signed back then locked his arms around Dean’s neck, asking the man to carry him.

 

“Uh, up we go.” Dean said aloud, lifting the six year old easily into his arms as he followed Cas into the kitchen. “Lunch time kiddo, gotta get those bones big and strong.”

 

“Dad-Dee,” Daniel said aloud, tapping his ear at Dean’s word. Completely deaf Daniel still laughed and giggled and cried out loud, he said a few choice phrases out loud, mainly names and random sounds to grab peoples attention. But he couldn't hear himself nor anything else going on around him. It made Dean upset to think that his son would never hear his voice, but he often pushed that down and tried not to think about it.

 

Dean pressed a quick kiss to the boys cheek and smiled. “Dad-Dee can’t sign when he’s carrying you sweetie.”

 

Cas dutifully was unpacking groceries in the kitchen, his scent flooding with sweet contentment as Dean and Daniel followed him in. A pull reminiscent of Dean’s rut, made itself known in his chest, but he pushed it aside in favour of squeezing Daniel tighter to him and pressing another kiss into his sons hair.

 

Nudging Cas playfully away from the bench, Dean made some space and set Daniel there, revelling in the young boys giggles at being so high.

 

 _What are we thinking bad boy, peanut butter or ham_ he asked.

 

Daniel kicked his feet out, his small sneakers battering against the hard wood bench. _Peanut butter._

 

 _Good choice._ Dean signed and by passed Cas, headed for the cupboard.

 

 _Now-_ Dean set the peanut butter aside, freeing up his hands as he addressed Daniel. _Do you wanna make it or have Daddy or Dad-Dee make if for you._

 

 _I want to._ Daniel burst out hands moving quickly.  He looked between both his parents, neither one having moved at his request. _Please._

 

Dean nodded, his face stretched into an uncontrollable grin. _Good man_.

 

 _Did you tell Dad-Dee about the octopus you saw?_ Castiel asked, placing a fresh carton of milk in the fridge.

 

It was like Cas had just announced Christmas coming early.

 

Daniel exploded into an epic tale. Telling Dean all about how Sam had taken Daniel and Dean’s two nieces to an ocean touch tank by the sea.

 

Cas said a loud some of what Daniel was signing, Dean’s eyes not fast enough to grasp all of his son’s movements. Having forgotten his unmade sandwich, Dean set to work producing something edible, when Daniel noticed his father’s movements he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

 

 _You can help Dad-Dee make tea._ Cas signed, glancing at the daddy (Dean) in question over the top of Daniel’s head.

 

“I’m thinking barbeque.” Dean said aloud, then signed to Daniel _you can help me with the grill._

 

That cheered Daniel up well enough, he smiled and then went on detailing how he’d liked the octopus the best, though the attendant said they weren’t allowed to touch it.

 

As Dean listened and watched a flood of warmth in his chest expanded enough to cause a prickle behind his eyes. He was more aware than ever before of himself living the fantasy him and Cas had dreamed of ever since they’d agreed they’d start looking for a child. Looking at Cas and his son know was like a shot, hard and fast, right to his heart, enough that he turned and wiped his eyes- hoping his mate wouldn’t notice.

 

Cas, ever intuitive, pushed Danny’s sandwich toward him, which their boy began to eat hungrily. He looped and arm around Dean’s shoulder and kissed him on the cheek.

 

Castiel still was the prettiest human being that Dean had ever seen, with the biggest heart and the sharpest mind. He put up with Dean and cared for him in all the ways the Alpha needed.

 

“How’d we get so lucky Cas?” he asked.

 

Dean watched as Cas’ lips curve into a soft smile. He leant in, holding Dean close as they shared a quick kiss. “Don’t ask stupid questions.” He said and bumped Dean’s hip with his own.

 

Smiling, Dean bumped his mate back, and pressed his palm against Castiel’s own touching their fingertips together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soupernabturel.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> [My Tumblr](soupernabturel.tumblr.com)


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